Sayings of the Desert Fathers (alphabetical collection) 89.87–89.177
Authorship disputed: Anonymous collection of sayings and stories of the Egyptian desert monks of the 4th and 5th centuries, arranged by the Greek alphabet of the monks' names and compiled in its present form in the late 5th or 6th century. The sayings are attributed to the named monks and were handed down orally and in smaller collections; the compiler is unknown.
Greek text: PG 65.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).
Chapter 89
89.87PG 65:343
Ἀδελφὸς ἡρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Καλὸν τὸ προσεύχεσθαι; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων, ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἀντώνιος, ὅτι Ἡ φωνὴ αὕτη ἐκπορεύεται ἐκ προσώπου Κυρίου, λέγουσα· Παρακαλεῖτε τὸν λαόν μου, λέγει Κύριος, παρακαλεῖτε.
Adelphos hērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Kalon to proseuchesthai? Legei autǭ ho gerōn, hoti eipen ho abbas Antōnios, hoti Hē phōnē hautē ekporeuetai ek prosōpou Kyriou, legousa; Parakaleite ton laon mou, legei Kyrios, parakaleite.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “Is it good to pray?” The old man says to him that abba Antony said, “This voice goes out from the face of the Lord, saying, ‘Comfort my people, says the Lord, comfort them.’”
Isa 40:1 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen answers with Antony’s word that God himself calls for comforting (praying for) his people.
- The saying plays on παρακαλεῖν, which means both “to comfort” and “to pray, entreat.” Quotation of Isa 40:1.
Topics: Prayer
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.87 (PG 65:343; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-87). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-87
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.88PG 65:343
Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Δύναται ἄνθρωπος κατασχεῖν ὅλους τοὺς λογισμοὺς, καὶ μηδένα ἐξ αὐτῶν διδόναι τῷ ἐχθρῷ; Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ γέρων Ἔστιν ὁ λαμβάνων δέκα, καὶ διδῶν ἕνα.
Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Dynatai anthrōpos kataschein holous tous logismous, kai mēdena ex autōn didonai tǭ echthrǭ? Kai eipen ho gerōn Estin ho lambanōn deka, kai didōn hena.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “Can a man control all his thoughts and give none of them to the enemy?” And the old man said, “There is one who takes ten and gives one.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Even the best keep most thoughts but yield some to the enemy.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.88 (PG 65:343; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-88). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-88
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-apophthegmata-alphabetica-89-88) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.89PG 65:343
Ὁ αὐτὸς ἀδελφὸς τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Σισόην. Καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· Φύσει ὅτι ἐστὶν, ὃς οὐδὲν παρέχει τῷ ἐχθρῷ.
Ho autos adelphos ton auton logon ērōtēse ton abban Sisoēn. Kai legei autǭ; Physei hoti estin, hos ouden parechei tǭ echthrǭ.
The same brother asked abba Sisoes the same question. And he says to him, “Truly there is one who gives nothing to the enemy.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Sisoes says some give the enemy nothing at all.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.89 (PG 65:343; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-89). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-89
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-apophthegmata-alphabetica-89-89) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.90PG 65:343–345
Ἦν τις μέγας ἡσυχαστὴς ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῆς Ἀθλίβεως· καὶ ἦλθον ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ λῃσταί· καὶ ἔκραξεν ὁ γέρων· καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ γείτονες αὐτοῦ ἐπίασαν τοὺς λῃστὰς, καὶ ἔπεμψαν αὐτοὺς τῷ ἡγεμόνι, καὶ ἔβαλεν εἰς φυλακήν. Καὶ ἐλυπήθησαν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ, λέγοντες, ὅτι Δι᾿ ἡμᾶς παρεδόθησαν. Καὶ ἀναστάντες ἀπῆλθον πρὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν αὐτῷ τὸ πρᾶγμα. Καὶ ἔγραψε πρὸς τὸν γέροντα, λέγων· Ἐννόησον τὴν πρώτην προδοσίαν πόθεν γέγονε, καὶ τότε βλέπεις τὴν δευτέραν. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ προεδόθης πρότερον ἐκ τῶν ἔσωθεν, οὐκ ἂν τὴν δευτέραν προδοσίαν ἐποίησας. Ἀκούσας δὲ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν τοῦ ἀββᾶ Ποιμένος (ἦν δὲ ὀνομαστὸς εἰς ὅλην τὴν χώραν, καὶ μὴ ἐξερχόμενος ἐκ τοῦ κελλίου αὐτοῦ), ἀναστὰς ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ἐξέβαλε τοὺς λῃστὰς ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς, καὶ δημοσίᾳ ἠλευθέρωσεν αὐτούς. μα΄. Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· Οὐκ ἔστι μοναχὸς μεμψίμοιρος· οὐκ ἔστι μοναχὸς ποιῶν ἀνταπόδομα οὐκ ἔστι μοναχὸς ὀργίλος. ηβ΄. Παρέβαλόν τινες τῶν γερόντων πρὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ· Θέλεις, ἐὰν ἴδωμεν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς νυστάζοντας εἰς τὴν σύναξιν, νύξωμεν αὐτοὺς, ἵνα γρηγορῶσιν εἰς τὴν ἀγρυπνίαν; Ὁ δὲ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Ἐγὼ τέως ἐὰν ἴδω τὸν ἀδελφὸν νυστάζοντα, τιθῶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὰ γόνατά μου, καὶ ἀναπαύω αὐτόν. Αγ΄. Ἔλεγον περί τινος ἀδελφοῦ, ὅτι ἐπολεμήθη εἰς βλασφημίαν, καὶ ἠσχύνετο εἰπεῖν· καὶ ὅπου ἤκουε μεγάλους γέροντας, παρέβαλε αὐτοῖς, ὥστε ἀναγγείλαι· καὶ ὡς ἔφθανεν, ἠσχύνετο ὁμολογῆσαι. Πολλάκις οὖν παρέβαλε καὶ τῷ ἀββᾷ Ποιμένι. Καὶ ἔβλεπεν αὐτὸν ὁ γέρων ἔχοντα λογισμοὺς, καὶ ἐλυπεῖτο, τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μὴ ἀναγγέλλοντος. Ἐν μιᾷ οὖν τῶν ἡμερῶν, προπέμπων αὐτὸν ἔλεγεν αὐτῷ· Ἰδοὺ τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἔρχῃ ὧδε ἔχων λογισμοὺς τοῦ ἀναγγεῖλαί μοι, καὶ ὅταν ἔρχῃ οὐ θέλεις αὐτοὺς εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἅπαξ ὑπάγεις θλιβόμενος ἔχων αὐτούς. Εἰπέ μοι οὖν, τέκνον, τί ἐστιν ὁ ἔχεις. Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ὅτι εἰς βλασφημίαν Θεοῦ πολεμεῖ με ὁ δαίμων, καὶ ἠσχυνόμην εἰπεῖν. Καὶ διηγησάμενος αὐτῷ τὸ πρᾶγμα, εὐθέως ἐλαφρύνθη. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Μὴ θλίβου, τέκνον· ἀλλ᾽ ὅταν ἔρχηται ὁ λογισμὸς οὗτος, λέγε· Ἐγὼ πρᾶγμα οὐκ ἔχω· ἡ βλασφημία σου ἐπάνω σου, Σατανᾶ. Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ πρᾶγμα οὐ θέλει ἡ ψυχή μου. Πᾶν δὲ πρᾶγμα ὃ οὐ θέλει ἡ ψυχή, ὀλιγοχρόνιόν ἐστι. Καὶ θεραπευθεὶς ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἀπῆλθεν. ἰδ'. Ἠρώτησεν ἀδελφὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Ὁρῶ ἐμαυτὸν, ὅτι ὅπου δ᾽ ἂν ἀπέλθω, εὑρίσκω ἀντίληψιν. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων, ὅτι Καὶ οἱ μετὰ χεῖρας ἔχοντες τὸ ξίφος ἔχουσι τὸν Θεὸν ἐλεοῦντα αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ παρόντι καιρῷ. Ἐὰν οὖν ὧμεν ἀνδρεῖοι, ποιεῖ μεθ' ἡμῶν τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. με΄. Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν, ὅτι Ἐὰν ἄνθρωπος ἑαυτὸν μέμψηται, καρτερεῖ πανταχοῦ.
Ēn tis megas hēsychastēs en tǭ orei tēs Athlibeōs; kai ēlthon epanō autou lę̄stai; kai ekraxen ho gerōn; kai akousantes hoi geitones autou epiasan tous lę̄stas, kai epempsan autous tǭ hēgemoni, kai ebalen eis phylakēn. Kai elypēthēsan hoi adelphoi, legontes, hoti Di᾿ hēmas paredothēsan. Kai anastantes apēlthon pros ton abban Poimena, kai anēngeilan autǭ to pragma. Kai egrapse pros ton geronta, legōn; Ennoēson tēn prōtēn prodosian pothen gegone, kai tote blepeis tēn deuteran. Ei mē gar proedothēs proteron ek tōn esōthen, ouk an tēn deuteran prodosian epoiēsas. Akousas de tēn epistolēn tou abba Poimenos (ēn de onomastos eis holēn tēn chōran, kai mē exerchomenos ek tou kelliou autou), anastas ēlthen eis tēn polin, kai exebale tous lę̄stas ek tēs phylakēs, kai dēmosią ēleutherōsen autous. ma΄. Eipen ho abbas Poimēn; Ouk esti monachos mempsimoiros; ouk esti monachos poiōn antapodoma ouk esti monachos orgilos. ēb΄. Parebalon tines tōn gerontōn pros ton abban Poimena, kai eipon autǭ; Theleis, ean idōmen tous adelphous nystazontas eis tēn synaxin, nyxōmen autous, hina grēgorōsin eis tēn agrypnian? Ho de legei autois; Egō teōs ean idō ton adelphon nystazonta, tithō tēn kephalēn autou epi ta gonata mou, kai anapauō auton. Ag΄. Elegon peri tinos adelphou, hoti epolemēthē eis blasphēmian, kai ēschyneto eipein; kai hopou ēkoue megalous gerontas, parebale autois, hōste anangeilai; kai hōs ephthanen, ēschyneto homologēsai. Pollakis oun parebale kai tǭ abbą Poimeni. Kai eblepen auton ho gerōn echonta logismous, kai elypeito, tou adelphou mē anangellontos. En mią oun tōn hēmerōn, propempōn auton elegen autǭ; Idou tosouton chronon erchę̄ hōde echōn logismous tou anangeilai moi, kai hotan erchę̄ ou theleis autous eipein, alla kata hapax hypageis thlibomenos echōn autous. Eipe moi oun, teknon, ti estin ho echeis. Ho de eipen autǭ; Hoti eis blasphēmian Theou polemei me ho daimōn, kai ēschynomēn eipein. Kai diēgēsamenos autǭ to pragma, eutheōs elaphrynthē. Kai eipen autǭ ho gerōn; Mē thlibou, teknon; all᾽ hotan erchētai ho logismos houtos, lege; Egō pragma ouk echō; hē blasphēmia sou epanō sou, Satana. Touto gar to pragma ou thelei hē psychē mou. Pan de pragma ho ou thelei hē psychē, oligochronion esti. Kai therapeutheis ho adelphos apēlthen. id'. Ērōtēsen adelphos ton abban Poimena, legōn; Horō emauton, hoti hopou d᾽ an apelthō, heuriskō antilēpsin. Legei autǭ ho gerōn, hoti Kai hoi meta cheiras echontes to xiphos echousi ton Theon eleounta autous en tǭ paronti kairǭ. Ean oun hōmen andreioi, poiei meth' hēmōn to eleos autou. me΄. Eipen ho abbas Poimēn, hoti Ean anthrōpos heauton mempsētai, karterei pantachou.
There was a great hermit on the mountain of Athribis; and robbers came upon him; and the old man cried out; and his neighbors, hearing, seized the robbers and sent them to the governor, and he put them in prison. And the brothers were grieved, saying, “They were handed over because of us.” And getting up they went to abba Poemen and told him the matter. And he wrote to the old man, saying, “Consider where the first betrayal came from, and then you will see the second. For unless you had first been betrayed from within, you would not have committed the second betrayal.” Hearing abba Poemen’s letter (for he was famous in all the region and did not go out of his cell), he got up and came to the city, took the robbers out of prison, and set them free publicly. [91] Abba Poemen said, “A grumbler is not a monk; one who repays evil is not a monk; an angry man is not a monk.” [92] Some of the old men visited abba Poemen and said to him, “If we see the brothers dozing at the synaxis, do you want us to nudge them so that they stay awake at the vigil?” He says to them, “For my part, if I see a brother dozing, I put his head on my knees and let him rest.” [93] They told of a brother that he was attacked by blasphemy and was ashamed to say it; and wherever he heard of great old men, he visited them in order to tell; and when he arrived, he was ashamed to confess. So he often visited abba Poemen too. And the old man saw that he had thoughts, and was grieved that the brother did not tell. One day, seeing him off, he said to him, “Look, for so long you have been coming here with thoughts to tell me, and when you come you will not say them, but each time you go away afflicted, keeping them. So tell me, child, what is it you have?” He said to him, “The demon attacks me with blasphemy against God, and I was ashamed to say it.” And having told him the matter, he was relieved at once. And the old man said to him, “Do not be afflicted, child; but when this thought comes, say, ‘It is not my affair; your blasphemy be upon you, Satan. For my soul does not want this thing.’ And everything the soul does not want is short-lived.” And the brother went away healed. [94] A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “I see that wherever I go I find help.” The old man says to him, “Even those who hold the sword in their hands have God showing them mercy in the present time. So if we are courageous, he shows his mercy to us.” [95] Abba Poemen said, “If a man blames himself, he endures everywhere.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen moves a hermit to free robbers he had handed over; then five more sayings follow on grumbling, letting dozing brothers rest, confessing blasphemous thoughts, God’s mercy, and self-blame.
- The scan runs Poemen 91–95 (numbered in the print) into this saying; marked [91]–[95].
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: breathing lost; OCR: word split; OCR: wrong accent): Ἀθλί βεως → Ἀθλίβεως; ἔλυπεῖτο → ἐλυπεῖτο; καρτερεί πανταχοῦ → καρτερεῖ πανταχοῦ.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.90 (PG 65:343–345; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-90). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-90
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.96PG 65:345
Εἶπε πάλιν, ὅτι ἔλεγεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἀμμωνᾶς, ὅτι Ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος ὃς ποιεῖ ἑκατὸν ἔτη ἐν τῷ κελλίῳ, καὶ οὐ μανθάνει πῶς δεῖ ἐν κελλίῳ καθίσαι.
Eipe palin, hoti elegen ho abbas Ammōnas, hoti Estin anthrōpos hos poiei hekaton etē en tǭ kelliǭ, kai ou manthanei pōs dei en kelliǭ kathisai.
He also said that abba Ammonas used to say, “There is a man who spends a hundred years in his cell and does not learn how one should sit in the cell.”
Notes and citation
Summary: One can spend a century in the cell without learning to live there.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.96 (PG 65:345; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-96). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-96
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-apophthegmata-alphabetica-89-96) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.97PG 65:345
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν, ὅτι Ἐὰν φθάσῃ ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸ ῥητὸν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου, τὸ, Πάντα καθαρά τοῖς καθαροῖς· ὁρᾷ ἑαυτὸν ἐλάττονα πάσης τῆς κτίσεως. Λέγει ὁ ἀδελφός Πῶς δύναμαι ἐμαυτὸν ἐλάττονα τοῦ φονέως ἡγεῖσθαι; Λέγει ὁ γέρων, ὅτι Ἐὰν φθάσῃ ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο, καὶ ἴδῃ ἄνθρωπον φονεύοντα, λέγει, ὅτι Ταύτην τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησε μόνην οὗτος, ἐγὼ δὲ φονεύω καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν. μη΄. Ἠρώτησεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς τὸ αὐτὸ ῥῆμα τὸν ἀββᾶν Ἀνοὺβ, ὡς ὅ τι εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν. Καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἀνοὺβ, ὅτι Ἐὰν φθάσῃ ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο, καὶ ἴδῃ τὰ ὑστερήματα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, ποιεῖ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ καταπιεῖν αὐτά. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἀδελφός Ποία ἐστὶν ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ; Απεκρίθη ὁ γέρων· Ἵνα πάντοτε καταμέμφηται ἑαυτόν.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn, hoti Ean phthasę̄ anthrōpos eis to rhēton tou Apostolou, to, Panta kathara tois katharois; horą heauton elattona pasēs tēs ktiseōs. Legei ho adelphos Pōs dynamai emauton elattona tou phoneōs hēgeisthai? Legei ho gerōn, hoti Ean phthasę̄ anthrōpos eis to rhēma touto, kai idę̄ anthrōpon phoneuonta, legei, hoti Tautēn tēn hamartian epoiēse monēn houtos, egō de phoneuō kath' hekastēn hēmeran. mē΄. Ērōtēsen ho adelphos to auto rhēma ton abban Anoub, hōs ho ti eipen ho abbas Poimēn. Kai legei autǭ ho abbas Anoub, hoti Ean phthasę̄ anthrōpos eis to rhēma touto, kai idę̄ ta hysterēmata tou adelphou autou, poiei tēn dikaiosynēn autou katapiein auta. Legei autǭ ho adelphos Poia estin hē dikaiosynē autou? Apekrithē ho gerōn; Hina pantote katamemphētai heauton.
Abba Poemen said, “If a man reaches the saying of the Apostle, ‘To the pure all things are pure,’ he sees himself less than all creation.” The brother says, “How can I consider myself less than a murderer?” The old man says, “If a man reaches this saying and sees a man committing murder, he says, ‘This man has committed only this one sin, but I commit murder every day.’” [98] The brother asked abba Anoub the same question, telling him what abba Poemen had said. And abba Anoub says to him, “If a man reaches this saying and sees his brother’s faults, he makes his own righteousness swallow them up.” The brother says to him, “What is his righteousness?” The old man answered, “Always to blame himself.”
Titus 1:15 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The pure in heart see themselves as worse than a murderer and let self-blame swallow others’ faults.
- Quotation of Titus 1:15. The scan runs Poemen 98 (μηʹ) into this saying; marked [98].
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.97 (PG 65:345; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-97). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-97
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-apophthegmata-alphabetica-89-97) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.99PG 65:345
Αδελφὸς εἶπε τῷ ἀββᾷ Ποιμένι, ὅτι Ἐὰν παραπέσω ἐν οἰκτρῷ παραπτώματι, κατεσθίει με ὁ λογισμός μου, καὶ κατηγορεῖ, Διατί παρέπεσες; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Ἐν ᾗ ὥρᾳ ὑποπίπτει ἄνθρωπος σφάλματι, καὶ εἴπῃ, Ἥμαρτον, παραυτὰ πέπαυται.
Adelphos eipe tǭ abbą Poimeni, hoti Ean parapesō en oiktrǭ paraptōmati, katesthiei me ho logismos mou, kai katēgorei, Diati parepeses? Legei autǭ ho gerōn; En hę̄ hōrą hypopiptei anthrōpos sphalmati, kai eipę̄, Hēmarton, parauta pepautai.
A brother said to abba Poemen, “If I fall into a wretched fault, my thought devours me and accuses me: ‘Why did you fall?’” The old man says to him, “At the hour a man falls into a fault and says, ‘I have sinned,’ it ceases at once.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Confessing “I have sinned” ends the self-accusation at once.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: breathing lost): Ήμαρτον → Ἥμαρτον.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.99 (PG 65:345; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-99). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-99
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.100PG 65:345
Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Διατί πείθουσι τὴν ψυχήν μου οἱ δαίμονες, εἶναι μετὰ τοῦ ὑπερβαίνοντός με, καὶ ποιοῦσί με ἐξουδενῶσαι τὸν ἐλάττονά μου; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Διὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ὅτι Ἐν μεγάλῃ οἰκίᾳ οὐκ ἔστιν μόνον σκεύη χρυσᾶ καὶ ἀργυρᾶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ξύλινα καὶ ὀστράκινα. Ἐὰν οὖν ἐκκαθάρῃ τις ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ πάντων τούτων, ἔσται σκεῦος εἰς τιμὴν, εὔχρηστον τῷ Δεσπότη, ἡτοιμασμένον εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθόν.
Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Diati peithousi tēn psychēn mou hoi daimones, einai meta tou hyperbainontos me, kai poiousi me exoudenōsai ton elattona mou? Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Dia touto eipen ho Apostolos, hoti En megalę̄ oikią ouk estin monon skeuē chrysa kai argyra, alla kai xylina kai ostrakina. Ean oun ekkatharę̄ tis heauton apo pantōn toutōn, estai skeuos eis timēn, euchrēston tǭ Despotē, hētoimasmenon eis pan ergon agathon.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “Why do the demons persuade my soul to be with one who is above me and make me despise one who is less than I?” The old man says to him, “That is why the Apostle said, ‘In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. If anyone cleanses himself from all these, he will be a vessel for honor, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.’”
2 Tim 2:20 (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Tim 2:21 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen answers a brother who despises his inferiors with Paul’s image of vessels in a great house.
- Quotation of 2 Tim 2:20–21.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: breathing lost): ήτοιμασμένον → ἡτοιμασμένον.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.100 (PG 65:345; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-100). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-100
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.101PG 65:345
Ἀδελφὸς ἡρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Πῶς οὐκ ἀφίεμαι ἐλεύθερος γενέσθαι μετὰ τῶν γερόντων ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς μου; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων, ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἰωάννης ὁ Κολοβός, ὅτι Οὐ χαίρει ἐπ᾿ οὐδενὶ οὕτως ὁ ἐχθρὸς, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῖς μὴ ἐκφαίνουσι τοὺς λογισμοὺς αὐτῶν.
Adelphos hērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Pōs ouk aphiemai eleutheros genesthai meta tōn gerontōn en tois logismois mou? Legei autǭ ho gerōn, hoti eipen ho abbas Iōannēs ho Kolobos, hoti Ou chairei ep᾿ oudeni houtōs ho echthros, hōs epi tois mē ekphainousi tous logismous autōn.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “Why am I not allowed to be open with the old men about my thoughts?” The old man says to him that abba John the Dwarf said, “The enemy rejoices over nothing so much as over those who do not reveal their thoughts.”
Notes and citation
Summary: The enemy rejoices most over those who hide their thoughts.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.101 (PG 65:345; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-101). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-101
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.102PG 65:347
'Αδελφὸς εἶπε τῷ ἀββᾷ Ποιμένι, ὅτι Ἡ καρδία μου παρειμένη ἐστὶν, ἐὰν καταλάβῃ με καμεῖν· μικρόν. Λέγει· αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων Οὐ θαυμάζομεν τὸν Ἰωσὴφ μειράκιον ὄντα ἐτῶν δεκαεπτὰ, πῶς ὑπέμεινε· τὸν πειρασμὸν εἰς τέλος; καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐδόξασεν αὐτόν. Οὐχ ὁρῶμεν καὶ τὸν Ἰὼβ, πῶς οὐκ ἐνέδωκεν ἕως τέλους· κατέχων· τὴν ὑπομονήν; καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσαν οἱ πειρασμοὶ παρασαλεῦσαι αὐτὸν τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῦ Θεοῦ.
'Adelphos eipe tǭ abbą Poimeni, hoti Hē kardia mou pareimenē estin, ean katalabę̄ me kamein; mikron. Legei; autǭ ho gerōn Ou thaumazomen ton Iōsēph meirakion onta etōn dekaepta, pōs hypemeine; ton peirasmon eis telos? kai ho Theos edoxasen auton. Ouch horōmen kai ton Iōb, pōs ouk enedōken heōs telous; katechōn; tēn hypomonēn? kai ouk ischysan hoi peirasmoi parasaleusai auton tēs elpidos tou Theou.
A brother said to abba Poemen, “My heart grows slack if a little toil comes upon me.” The old man says to him, “Do we not marvel at Joseph, a boy of seventeen, how he endured temptation to the end? And God glorified him. Do we not see Job too, how he did not give in to the end, holding fast to endurance? And the temptations could not shake him from his hope in God.”
Gen 37:2 (allusion, medium confidence) · Jas 5:11 (echo, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen holds up Joseph and Job as examples of enduring temptation to the end.
- Joseph: Gen 37:2; 39; Job: Jas 5:11.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.102 (PG 65:347; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-102). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-102
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.103PG 65:347
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν Χρήζει τὸ κοινόβιον ἔχειν τρεῖς πράξεις, μίαν ταπεινὴν, καὶ μίαν εἰς ὑπακοὴν, καὶ μίαν κεκινημένην καὶ ἔχουσαν τὸ κέντρον, διὰ τὸ ἔργον τοῦ κοινοβίου.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn Chrēzei to koinobion echein treis praxeis, mian tapeinēn, kai mian eis hypakoēn, kai mian kekinēmenēn kai echousan to kentron, dia to ergon tou koinobiou.
Abba Poemen said, “A community needs three practices: one humble, one in obedience, and one active, with a goad, for the work of the community.”
Notes and citation
Summary: A community needs humble, obedient, and energetic members.
- The Greek is compressed; the three “practices” may be three kinds of monks.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: word split): κέν τρον → κέντρον.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.103 (PG 65:347; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-103). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-103
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.104PG 65:347
Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων Ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεώς μου ἐζήτησα παρὰ τινὸς τῶν ἁγίων πρᾶγμα ἐν χρήσει· καὶ ἔδωκέ μοι αὐτὸ ἀγάπην. Ἐὰν οὖν ὁ Θεὸς κἀμὲ οἰκονομήσῃ, δώσω αὐτὸ κἀγὼ ἀγάπην ἄλλοις, ἢ μᾶλλον τῷ δεδωκότι μοι αὐτό; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· "Ο τὸ δίκαιον παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ἐστιν, ἵνα αὐτῷ δοθῇ αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐστι. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἀδελφός· Ἐὰν ἀπενέγκω οὖν, καὶ μὴ θελήσῃ λαβεῖν, ἀλλ᾽ εἴπῃ μοι, Ὕπαγε, ὡς θέλεις δὸς αὐτὸ ἀγάπην, τί ποιήσω; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων Τέως αὐτοῦ ἐστι τὸ πρᾶγμα. Ἐὰν δὲ τις σοι παράσχῃ ἀφ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ, σοῦ μὴ αἰτήσαντος αὐτὸν, τοῦτο σὸν ἐστιν. Ἐὰν δὲ σὺ αἰτήσῃς ἢ παρὰ μοναχοῦ ἢ παρὰ κοσμικοῦ, καὶ μὴ θελήσῃ δέξασθαι αὐτὸ, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σύγκριμα, ἵνα εἰδότος αὐτοῦ παράσχῃς αὐτὸ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἀγάπην.
Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn En kairǭ thlipseōs mou ezētēsa para tinos tōn hagiōn pragma en chrēsei; kai edōke moi auto agapēn. Ean oun ho Theos kame oikonomēsę̄, dōsō auto kagō agapēn allois, ē mallon tǭ dedōkoti moi auto? Legei autǭ ho gerōn; "O to dikaion para tǭ Theǭ estin, hina autǭ dothę̄ autou gar esti. Legei autǭ ho adelphos; Ean apenenkō oun, kai mē thelēsę̄ labein, all᾽ eipę̄ moi, Hypage, hōs theleis dos auto agapēn, ti poiēsō? Legei autǭ ho gerōn Teōs autou esti to pragma. Ean de tis soi paraschę̄ aph᾿ heautou, sou mē aitēsantos auton, touto son estin. Ean de sy aitēsę̄s ē para monachou ē para kosmikou, kai mē thelēsę̄ dexasthai auto, touto esti to synkrima, hina eidotos autou paraschę̄s auto hyper autou agapēn.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “In a time of my distress I asked one of the saints for something as a loan, and he gave it to me as alms. So if God provides for me too, shall I give it as alms to others, or rather to the one who gave it to me?” The old man says to him, “What is just before God is that it be given back to him; for it is his.” The brother says to him, “If I take it back and he does not want to receive it, but says to me, ‘Go, give it as alms as you wish,’ what shall I do?” The old man says to him, “Even so, the thing is his. If someone gives you something of his own accord without your asking him, that is yours. But if you asked, whether from a monk or a layman, and he does not want to receive it back, this is the fitting way: that with his knowledge you give it as alms on his behalf.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen rules that a loan received as alms belongs to the lender and should be given away in his name if he refuses it.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: stray letter; OCR: word split): αὐ τοῦ ἐστι → αὐτοῦ ἐστι; ὑπὲρι αὐτοῦ → ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.104 (PG 65:347; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-104). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-104
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.105PG 65:347
Ἔλεγον περὶ τοῦ ἀββᾶ Ποιμένος, ὅτι οὐδέποτε ἤθελε δοῦναι τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ἐπάνω ἄλλου γέροντος· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον κατὰ πάντα ἐπῄνει αὐτόν.
Elegon peri tou abba Poimenos, hoti oudepote ēthele dounai ton logon autou epanō allou gerontos; alla mallon kata panta epę̄nei auton.
They said of abba Poemen that he never wanted to put his own word above that of another old man, but rather praised him in everything.
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen never set his word above another elder’s.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: stray mark): οὐδέποτε. ἤθελε → οὐδέποτε ἤθελε.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.105 (PG 65:347; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-105). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-105
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.106PG 65:347
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· Πολλοὶ τῶν Πατέρων ἡμῶν ἐγένοντο ἀνδρεῖοι εἰς τὴν ἄσκησιν· εἰς δὲ τὴν λεπτότητα εἷς, εἷς.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn; Polloi tōn Paterōn hēmōn egenonto andreioi eis tēn askēsin; eis de tēn leptotēta heis, heis.
Abba Poemen said, “Many of our Fathers became courageous in asceticism; but in refinement, only one here and there.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Many Fathers were strong ascetics, but few had spiritual refinement.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.106 (PG 65:347; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-106). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-106
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.107PG 65:347
Καθημένου ποτὲ τοῦ ἀββᾶ Ἰσαὰκ πρὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, ἠκούσθη φωνὴ ἀλέκτορος. Καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· Ἔνι ταῦτα ὧδε, ἀββᾶ; Ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἰσαὰκ, τί ἀναγκάζεις με λαλῆσαι; σὺ καὶ οἱ ὅμοιοί σου ἀκούετε τούτων· τῷ δὲ νήφοντι οὐ μέλει περὶ τούτων.
Kathēmenou pote tou abba Isaak pros ton abban Poimena, ēkousthē phōnē alektoros. Kai legei autǭ; Eni tauta hōde, abba? Ho de apokritheis eipen autǭ; Isaak, ti anankazeis me lalēsai? sy kai hoi homoioi sou akouete toutōn; tǭ de nēphonti ou melei peri toutōn.
Once when abba Isaac was sitting with abba Poemen, a cock’s crow was heard. And he says to him, “Are there such things here, abba?” He answered him, “Isaac, why do you force me to speak? You and those like you hear such things; but the watchful man does not care about them.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen tells Isaac that the watchful do not even notice a cock crowing.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: stray mark): πρὸς τὸν, ἀββᾶν → πρὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.107 (PG 65:347; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-107). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-107
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.108PG 65:347
Ἔλεγον, ὅτι εἰ ἤρχοντό τινες πρὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, ἀπέστελλεν αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Ἀνοὺβ πρῶτον, ὅτι αὐτὸς μείζων τοῖς ἔτεσιν. Ὁ δὲ ἀββᾶς Ἀνοὺβ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· Πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφόν μου Ποιμένα ὑπάγετε, ὅτι αὐτὸς ἔχει τοῦ λόγου τὸ χάρισμα.. Εἰ δὲ ἐκάθητο ἐκεῖ ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἀνοὺβ ἐγγὺς τοῦ ἀββᾶ Ποιμένος, οὐκ ἐλάλει ὅλως ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν παρόντος αὐτοῦ.
Elegon, hoti ei ērchonto tines pros ton abban Poimena, apestellen autous pros ton abban Anoub prōton, hoti autos meizōn tois etesin. Ho de abbas Anoub elegen autois; Pros ton adelphon mou Poimena hypagete, hoti autos echei tou logou to charisma.. Ei de ekathēto ekei ho abbas Anoub engys tou abba Poimenos, ouk elalei holōs ho abbas Poimēn parontos autou.
They said that if people came to abba Poemen, he sent them first to abba Anoub, because he was older. But abba Anoub said to them, “Go to my brother Poemen, because he has the gift of the word.” And if abba Anoub was sitting near abba Poemen, abba Poemen did not speak at all in his presence.
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen and Anoub each defer to the other, and Poemen keeps silent in Anoub’s presence.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.108 (PG 65:347; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-108). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-108
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.109PG 65:347–349
Ἦν τις κοσμικὸς εὐλαβὴς πάνυ ἐν τῷ βίῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ παρέβαλε τῷ ἀββᾷ Ποιμένι· εὐκαίρησαν δὲ πρὸς τὸν γέροντα καὶ ἄλλοι ἀδελφοὶ, αἰτοῦντες αὐτὸν ἀκοῦσαι ῥῆμα. Καὶ λέγει ὁ γέρων τῷ πιστῷ κοσμικῷ· Λάλησον τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς λόγον. Ὁ δὲ παρεκάλει, λέγων· Συγχώρησόν μοι, ἀββᾶ· ἐγὼ μαθεῖν ἦλθον. Καὶ βιασθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ γέροντος, εἶπεν· Ἐγὼ κοσμικός εἰμι λάχανα πωλῶν καὶ πραγματευόμενος, λύω τὰ δεμάτια, καὶ ποιῶ μικρὰ, ἀγοράζω ὀλίγου καὶ πωλῶ πολλοῦ. Πλὴν οὐκ οἶδα ἀπὸ Γραφῆς εἰπεῖν· παραβολὴν δὲ λέγω. "Ανθρωπός τις εἶπε τῷ φίλῳ αὐτοῦ· Ἐπειδὴ ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχω ἰδεῖν τὸν βασιλέα, δεῦρο μετ' ἐμοῦ. Λέγει δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ φίλος· Ἔρχομαι μετὰ σοῦ μέχρι μέσου τῆς ὁδοῦ. Καὶ λέγει ἄλλῳ φίλῳ αὐτοῦ Δεῦρο σὺ ἄρόν με πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. Καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· Αίρω σε ἕως τοῦ παλατίου τοῦ βασιλέως. Λέγει δὲ καὶ τῷ τρίτῳ· Δεῦρο μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. Ο δὲ εἶπεν· Ἐγὼ ἔρχομαι, καὶ ἀπάγω εἰς τὸ παλάτιον, καὶ στήκω καὶ λαλῶ καὶ εἰσάγω σε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. Ἠρώτων δὲ αὐτὸν, τίς ἡ δύναμις τῆς παραβολῆς. Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Ὁ πρῶτος φίλος ἐστὶν ἡ ἄσκησις, ἡ ὁδηγοῦσα ἕως τῆς ὁδοῦ ὁ δεύτερός ἐστιν ἡ ἁγνεία, ἡ φθάνουσα ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· ὁ δὲ τρίτος ἐστὶν ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη, ἡ εἰσάγουσα ἕως τοῦ βασιλέως Θεοῦ μετὰ παῤῥησίας. Καὶ οἰκοδομηθέντες ἀνεχώρησαν οἱ ἀδελφοί. οι΄. Ἀδελφὸς ἐκάθητο ἔξω τῆς κώμης ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ πολλὰ ἔτη οὐκ ἀνέβη εἰς τὴν κώμην, καὶ ἔλεγε τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς· Ἰδοὺ πόσα ἔτη ἔχω, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέβην εἰς τὴν κώμην· ὑμεῖς δὲ καθάπαξ ἀναβαίνετε. Εἶπον δὲ τῷ ἀββᾷ Ποιμένι περὶ αὐτοῦ· καὶ λέγει ὁ γέρων· Ἐγὼ ἤμην ἀναβαίνων τὴν νύκτα καὶ κυκλῶν τὴν κώμην, ἵνα μὴ καυχᾶται ὁ λογισμός μου ὡς μὴ ἀναβαίνοντός μου. ρια΄. Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Εἰπέ μοι ῥῆμα. Καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· Ὅτε καίεται ὑποκάτω ὁ λέβης, οὐ δύναται μυῖα ἅψασθαι αὐτοῦ, ἤ τι τῶν ἄλλων ἑρπετῶν· ὅταν δὲ ψυχρὸς ᾖ, τότε ἐπικάθηνται αὐτῷ. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ μοναχός· ὅσον ἐπιμένει ταῖς πνευματικαῖς πράξεσιν, οὐχ εὑρίσκει ὁ ἐχθρὸς κατενεγκεῖν αὐτόν.
Ēn tis kosmikos eulabēs pany en tǭ biǭ autou, kai parebale tǭ abbą Poimeni; eukairēsan de pros ton geronta kai alloi adelphoi, aitountes auton akousai rhēma. Kai legei ho gerōn tǭ pistǭ kosmikǭ; Lalēson tois adelphois logon. Ho de parekalei, legōn; Synchōrēson moi, abba; egō mathein ēlthon. Kai biastheis hypo tou gerontos, eipen; Egō kosmikos eimi lachana pōlōn kai pragmateuomenos, lyō ta dematia, kai poiō mikra, agorazō oligou kai pōlō pollou. Plēn ouk oida apo Graphēs eipein; parabolēn de legō. "Anthrōpos tis eipe tǭ philǭ autou; Epeidē epithymian echō idein ton basilea, deuro met' emou. Legei de autǭ ho philos; Erchomai meta sou mechri mesou tēs hodou. Kai legei allǭ philǭ autou Deuro sy aron me pros ton basilea. Kai legei autǭ; Airō se heōs tou palatiou tou basileōs. Legei de kai tǭ tritǭ; Deuro met᾿ emou pros ton basilea. O de eipen; Egō erchomai, kai apagō eis to palation, kai stēkō kai lalō kai eisagō se pros ton basilea. Ērōtōn de auton, tis hē dynamis tēs parabolēs. Kai apokritheis eipen autois; Ho prōtos philos estin hē askēsis, hē hodēgousa heōs tēs hodou ho deuteros estin hē hagneia, hē phthanousa heōs tou ouranou; ho de tritos estin hē eleēmosynē, hē eisagousa heōs tou basileōs Theou meta parrhēsias. Kai oikodomēthentes anechōrēsan hoi adelphoi. oi΄. Adelphos ekathēto exō tēs kōmēs heautou, kai epi polla etē ouk anebē eis tēn kōmēn, kai elege tois adelphois; Idou posa etē echō, kai ouk anebēn eis tēn kōmēn; hymeis de kathapax anabainete. Eipon de tǭ abbą Poimeni peri autou; kai legei ho gerōn; Egō ēmēn anabainōn tēn nykta kai kyklōn tēn kōmēn, hina mē kauchatai ho logismos mou hōs mē anabainontos mou. ria΄. Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Eipe moi rhēma. Kai legei autǭ; Hote kaietai hypokatō ho lebēs, ou dynatai muia hapsasthai autou, ē ti tōn allōn herpetōn; hotan de psychros ę̄, tote epikathēntai autǭ. Houtō kai ho monachos; hoson epimenei tais pneumatikais praxesin, ouch heuriskei ho echthros katenenkein auton.
There was a man of the world, very devout in his life, and he visited abba Poemen; other brothers too happened to be with the old man, asking to hear a word. And the old man says to the faithful layman, “Speak a word to the brothers.” But he begged, saying, “Forgive me, abba; I came to learn.” And pressed by the old man, he said, “I am a man of the world, selling vegetables and trading; I undo the bundles and make small ones, buy cheap and sell dear. I do not know how to speak from Scripture, but I will tell a parable. A man said to his friend, ‘Since I want to see the king, come with me.’ The friend says to him, ‘I will come with you halfway.’ And he says to another friend, ‘Come, take me to the king.’ And he says to him, ‘I will take you as far as the king’s palace.’ He says also to the third, ‘Come with me to the king.’ He said, ‘I will come, and take you to the palace, and stand and speak, and bring you in to the king.’” They asked him what the meaning of the parable was. And he answered them, “The first friend is asceticism, which leads as far as the road; the second is chastity, which reaches to heaven; and the third is almsgiving, which brings one in to God the king with confidence.” And the brothers went away edified. [110] A brother lived outside his village, and for many years he did not go up to the village, and he said to the brothers, “Look how many years I have been here, and I have not gone up to the village; but you go up every so often.” They told abba Poemen about him; and the old man says, “I used to go up at night and walk around the village, so that my thought would not boast that I did not go up.” [111] A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “Tell me a word.” And he says to him, “When a fire burns under the pot, no fly or any other creeping thing can touch it; but when it is cold, then they settle on it. So too the monk: as long as he perseveres in spiritual practices, the enemy finds no way to bring him down.”
Notes and citation
Summary: A devout vegetable seller tells the monks a parable of three friends: asceticism, chastity, and almsgiving; two more sayings follow.
- The scan inserts the opening of a second version of the same story inside the first; the repetition is removed. Poemen 110 and 111 (numbered in the print) are run into this saying; marked [110] and [111]. Another version of the parable, with obedience as the third friend, stands inside 89.112.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: letter slip; OCR: wrong accent; opening of a second copy of the story inserted by the OCR): βίῳ. τῶν λογισμῶν, διὰ προσευχῆς. ὧν τις κοσμικὸς πάνυ εὐλαβής· καὶ ἦλθε πρὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα· καὶ πολλοὶ ἄλλοι ἀδελφοὶ αἰτοῦντες λόγον ὠφελείας παρὰ τοῦ γέροντος. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν τῷ κοσμικῷ· Εἰπὸν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς λόγον. Λέγει ὁ κοσμικός· Ἐγὼ τί ἔχω εἰπεῖν ὁ ταλαίπωρος; Ἀναγκασθεὶς δὲ πολλὰ, εἶπεν· Ἐγὼ οὐκ οἶδα τί πο· τε· ἤκουσα δὲ παραβολὴν μεγάλου γέροντος· ὅτι τις → βίῳ ; κυκλῶν τὴν χώμην → κυκλῶν τὴν κώμην; ἡ τι τῶν ἄλλων → ἤ τι τῶν ἄλλων.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.109 (PG 65:347–349; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-109). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-109
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.112PG 65:349–351
Ἔλεγεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἰωσὴφ περὶ τοῦ ἀββᾶ Ποιμένος, ὅτι εἶπεν, ὅτι Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ λόγος ὁ γεγραμμένος ἐν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ, ὅτι Ὁ ἔχων ἱμάτιον πωλησάτω αὐτὸ, καὶ ἀγορασάτω μάχαιραν· τουτέστιν ὁ ἔχων ἀνάπαυσιν ἀφήσει αὐτὴν, καὶ κρατήσει τὴν στενὴν ὁδόν.
Elegen ho abbas Iōsēph peri tou abba Poimenos, hoti eipen, hoti Houtos estin ho logos ho gegrammenos en tǭ Euangeliǭ, hoti Ho echōn himation pōlēsatō auto, kai agorasatō machairan; toutestin ho echōn anapausin aphēsei autēn, kai kratēsei tēn stenēn hodon.
Abba Joseph said of abba Poemen that he said, “This is the word written in the Gospel: ‘Let him who has a cloak sell it and buy a sword’; that is, let him who has comfort give it up and hold to the narrow way.”
Luke 22:36 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 7:14 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen reads the saying about selling one’s cloak for a sword as giving up comfort for the narrow way.
- The scan inserts inside a word another version of the parable of the three friends (with obedience as the third friend; cf. 89.109); it is removed. Quotation of Luke 22:36; the narrow way: Matt 7:14.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (another version of the parable of saying 109 inserted inside a word by the OCR): ποτε παρεκάλεσε φίλον, λέγων· Ἐπειδὴ ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχω ἰδεῖν τὸν βασιλέα, ἀπένεγκέ με πρὸς αὐτόν. Ὁ δὲ λέγει αὐτῷ· Ἔρχομαι μετὰ σοῦ ἕως ἡμίσους τῆς ὁδοῦ. Καὶ εἶπεν ἄλλῳ φίλω· Ἀπένεγκέ με εἰς τὸν βασιλέα. Ὁ δὲ λέγει αὐτῷ· Ἔρχομαι μετὰ σοῦ ἕως τοῦ παλατίου. Καὶ εἶπεν ἄλλῳ φίλῳ. Καὶ λέγει· Ἐγὼ εἰσάγω σε εἰς τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ λαλῶ ὑπὲρ σοῦ μετὰ παῤῥησίας. Καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Φράσον ἡμῖν τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην. Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Ὁ πρῶτος φίλος ἐστὶν ἡ ἄσκησις, ἡ ὁδηγοῦσα ἕως ἡμίσους τῆς βασιλείας, ὁ δεύτερος, ἡ ἁγνεία, ἡ φθάνουσα ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· ὁ τρίτος, ἡ ὑπακοή, ἡ φθάνουσα καὶ εἰσάγουσα μετὰ παρρησίας πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, ἤγουν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. → .
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.112 (PG 65:349–351; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-112). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-112
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.113PG 65:351
Ἠρώτησάν τινες τῶν Πατέρων τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγοντες· Ἐὰν ἴδωμέν τινα ἁμαρτάνοντα ἀδελφὸν, θέλεις ἐλέγξωμεν αὐτόν; Λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ γέρων· Ἐγὼ τέως ἐὰν ἔχω χρείαν παρελθεῖν διὰ τῶν ἐκεῖ, καὶ ἴδω αὐτὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα, ὑπερβαίνω αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἐλέγχω αὐτόν.
Ērōtēsan tines tōn Paterōn ton abban Poimena, legontes; Ean idōmen tina hamartanonta adelphon, theleis elenxōmen auton? Legei autois ho gerōn; Egō teōs ean echō chreian parelthein dia tōn ekei, kai idō auton hamartanonta, hyperbainō auton, kai ouk elenchō auton.
Some of the Fathers asked abba Poemen, saying, “If we see a brother sinning, do you want us to rebuke him?” The old man says to them, “For my part, if I need to pass that way and see him sinning, I pass him by and do not rebuke him.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen passes by a sinning brother without rebuking him.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: word split): ὁ γέ ρων → ὁ γέρων.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.113 (PG 65:351; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-113). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-113
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.114PG 65:351
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· Γέγραπται, ὅτι Ἃ εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου, ταῦτα διαμαρτύρου· ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι Ἐὰν καὶ ψηλαφήσητε ταῖς χερσὶν ὑμῶν, μὴ μαρτυρήσητε. Ἀδελφὸς γάρ τις ἐχλευάσθη ἔν τινι τοιούτῳ, καὶ εἶδεν ὡς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μετὰ γυναικὸς ἁμαρτάνοντα, καὶ πολλὰ πολεμηθεὶς, ἀπελθὼν ἔνυξεν αὐτοὺς, ὡς νομίζων αὐτοὺς εἶναι, τῷ ποδὶ αὐτοῦ, λέγων· Παύσασθε λοιπὸν, ἕως πότε; Καὶ ἰδοὺ εὑρέθησαν θαλλοὶ σίτου. Διὰ τοῦτο εἶπον ὑμῖν, ὅτι Καὶ ἐὰν ψηλαφήσητε ταῖς χερσὶν ὑμῶν, μὴ ἐλέγχετε.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn; Gegraptai, hoti Ha eidon hoi ophthalmoi sou, tauta diamartyrou; egō de legō hymin, hoti Ean kai psēlaphēsēte tais chersin hymōn, mē martyrēsēte. Adelphos gar tis echleuasthē en tini toioutǭ, kai eiden hōs ton adelphon autou meta gynaikos hamartanonta, kai polla polemētheis, apelthōn enyxen autous, hōs nomizōn autous einai, tǭ podi autou, legōn; Pausasthe loipon, heōs pote? Kai idou heurethēsan thalloi sitou. Dia touto eipon hymin, hoti Kai ean psēlaphēsēte tais chersin hymōn, mē elenchete.
Abba Poemen said, “It is written, ‘What your eyes have seen, bear witness to it’; but I say to you, even if you touch with your hands, do not bear witness. For a brother was mocked in such a matter: he thought he saw his brother sinning with a woman, and being greatly attacked, he went and kicked them with his foot, thinking it was they, saying, ‘Stop now; how long?’ And look, they were found to be sheaves of wheat. That is why I told you, even if you touch with your hands, do not rebuke.”
Prov 25:7 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen warns against accusing even on the evidence of one’s senses, telling of a monk deceived by sheaves of wheat.
- The quoted saying resembles Prov 25:7–8 (LXX); the story concerns a false appearance of sexual sin.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: stray letter; OCR: stray mark; OCR: word split; OCR: word split and letter slip): Ὁ εἶ δον → Ἃ εἶδον; χερσὶν, ὑμῶν → χερσὶν ὑμῶν; με τὰ γυναικὸς → μετὰ γυναικὸς; θαλλοὶ ὁ σίτου → θαλλοὶ σίτου.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.114 (PG 65:351; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-114). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-114
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.115PG 65:351
Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τον ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Τί ποιήσω, ὅτι πολεμοῦμαι εἰς τὴν πορνείαν καὶ εἰς τὸν θυμόν; Λέγει ὁ γέρων· Διὰ τοῦτο ὁ Δαβὶδ ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Τὸν μὲν λέοντα ἐπάτασσον, τὴν δὲ ἄρκτον ἀπέπνιγον· τοῦτο δὲ ἐστιν, ὅτι τὸν μὲν θυμὸν ἀπέκοπτον, τὴν δὲ πορνείαν ἐν πόνοις ἔθλιβον.
Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Ti poiēsō, hoti polemoumai eis tēn porneian kai eis ton thymon? Legei ho gerōn; Dia touto ho Dabid elegen, hoti Ton men leonta epatasson, tēn de arkton apepnigon; touto de estin, hoti ton men thymon apekopton, tēn de porneian en ponois ethlibon.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “What shall I do, for I am attacked by sexual temptation and by anger?” The old man says, “That is why David said, ‘The lion I struck, and the bear I strangled’; that is, anger I cut off, and sexual desire I crushed with labors.”
1 Sam 17:35 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen reads David’s lion and bear as anger cut off and lust crushed by labor.
- 1 Sam 17:34–36.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: stray letter; OCR: word split): καὶ ὁ εἰς τὸν θυμόν → καὶ εἰς τὸν θυμόν; ἀπέκο πτον → ἀπέκοπτον.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.115 (PG 65:351; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-115). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-115
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.116PG 65:351
Εἶπε πάλιν· Μείζονα ταύτης τῆς ἀγάπης οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν τινα, τοῦ θεῖναι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ. Εἰ γάρ τις ἀκούσει λόγον πονηρὸν, τουτέστι λυπηρὸν, δυνάμενος καὶ αὐτὸς τὸν ὅμοιον εἰπεῖν, καὶ ἀγωνήσηται μὴ εἰπεῖν· ἢ ἐὰν πλεονεκτηθῇ, καὶ βαστάζῃ, καὶ μὴ ἀνταποδώσει αὐτῷ· ὁ τοιοῦτος τίθησι τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλησίον.
Eipe palin; Meizona tautēs tēs agapēs ouk estin heurein tina, tou theinai tēn psychēn autou hyper tou plēsion autou. Ei gar tis akousei logon ponēron, toutesti lypēron, dynamenos kai autos ton homoion eipein, kai agōnēsētai mē eipein; ē ean pleonektēthę̄, kai bastazę̄, kai mē antapodōsei autǭ; ho toioutos tithēsi tēn psychēn autou hyper tou plēsion.
He also said, “There is no greater love than this, that someone lay down his life for his neighbor. For if someone hears an evil word, that is, a hurtful one, and though he can say the like himself, he struggles not to say it; or if he is wronged and bears it and does not repay him, such a one lays down his life for his neighbor.”
John 15:13 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Bearing insults and wrongs without retaliating is laying down one’s life for one’s neighbor.
- Quotation of John 15:13.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.116 (PG 65:351; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-116). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-116
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.117PG 65:351
Ἀδελφὸς ἡρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Τί ἐστιν ὑποκριτής; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Ὑποκριτής ἐστιν ὁ διδάσκων τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ πρᾶγμα, εἰς ὃ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἔφθασε. Γέγραπται γάρ· Τί βλέπεις τὸ κάρφος τὸ ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡ δοκὸς ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ σου; καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς.
Adelphos hērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Ti estin hypokritēs? Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Hypokritēs estin ho didaskōn ton plēsion autou pragma, eis ho autos ouk ephthase. Gegraptai gar; Ti blepeis to karphos to en tǭ ophthalmǭ tou adelphou sou, kai idou hē dokos en tǭ ophthalmǭ sou? kai ta exēs.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “What is a hypocrite?” The old man says to him, “A hypocrite is one who teaches his neighbor something he has not attained himself. For it is written, ‘Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, and look, the beam is in your own eye?’ and so on.”
Matt 7:3 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: A hypocrite teaches what he has not attained himself.
- Quotation of Matt 7:3–4.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.117 (PG 65:351; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-117). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-117
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.118PG 65:351–353
Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Τί ἐστι τὸ ὀργισθῆναι εἰκῆ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ; Καὶ εἶπε· Πᾶσαν πλεονεξίαν ἣν πλεονεκτήσει σε ὁ ἀδελφός σου, καὶ ὀργισθῇς αὐτῷ, εἰκῆ ὀργίζῃ. Κἂν ἐξορύξῃ τὸν δεξιὸν ὀφθαλμόν σου, καὶ ἐκκόψῃ τὴν δεξιάν σου χεῖρα, καὶ ὀργισθῆς αὐτῷ, εἰκῆ ὀργίζῃ· ἐὰν δὲ χωρίζῃ σε ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τότε ὀργίσθητι
Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Ti esti to orgisthēnai eikē tǭ adelphǭ autou? Kai eipe; Pasan pleonexian hēn pleonektēsei se ho adelphos sou, kai orgisthę̄s autǭ, eikē orgizę̄. Kan exoryxę̄ ton dexion ophthalmon sou, kai ekkopsę̄ tēn dexian sou cheira, kai orgisthēs autǭ, eikē orgizę̄; ean de chōrizę̄ se apo tou Theou, tote orgisthēti
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “What is it to be angry with one’s brother without cause?” And he said, “Whatever wrong your brother does you, if you are angry with him, you are angry without cause. Even if he gouges out your right eye and cuts off your right hand and you are angry with him, you are angry without cause; but if he separates you from God, then be angry.”
Matt 5:22 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Anger at a brother is always without cause unless he separates one from God.
- The scan inserts here a second copy of the preceding saying (89.116) inside the sentence; it is removed. Cf. Matt 5:22.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: letter slip; OCR: margin letters inside a split word; OCR: wrong breathing; second copy of the preceding saying inserted by the OCR inside the sentence): λέΕι Η γων → λέγων; ἐκκόψῃ τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλησίον. Ἐὰν γάρ τις ἀκούσῃ λόγον λυπηρὸν, καὶ δυνάμενος καὶ αὐτὸς τὸν ὅμοιον εἰπεῖν, καὶ ἀγωνίσηται βαστάξαι τὸν κόπον, καὶ μηδὲν λαλήσῃ βαστάσει τὴν βίαν, μὴ ἀποδοῦναι τῷ λυπήσαντι, ὁ τοιοῦτος τὴν ψυχὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ αὐτ τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλησίον. δεξιά, → ἐκκόψῃ τὴν δεξιάν; ὁργίζῃ → ὀργίζῃ; ὀργίαθητι → ὀργίσθητι.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.118 (PG 65:351–353; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-118). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-118
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.119PG 65:353
Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Τί ποιήσω ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις μου; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων, ὅτι Ὁ θέλων λυτρώσασθαι ἁμαρτίας, κλαυθμῷ λυτροῦται αὐτάς· καὶ ὁ θέλων κτήσασθαι ἀρετὰς, κλαυθμῷ κτᾶται αὐτάς. Τὸ γὰρ κλαίειν ἐστὶν ἡ ὁδὸς ἣν παρέδωκεν ἡμῖν ἡ Γραφὴ, καὶ οἱ Πατέρες ἡμῶν, λέγοντες· Κλαύσατε. Ἄλλη γὰρ ὁδὸς οὐκ ἔστιν, εἰ μὴ αὕτη.
Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Ti poiēsō tais hamartiais mou? Legei autǭ ho gerōn, hoti Ho thelōn lytrōsasthai hamartias, klauthmǭ lytroutai autas; kai ho thelōn ktēsasthai aretas, klauthmǭ ktatai autas. To gar klaiein estin hē hodos hēn paredōken hēmin hē Graphē, kai hoi Pateres hēmōn, legontes; Klausate. Allē gar hodos ouk estin, ei mē hautē.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “What shall I do about my sins?” The old man says to him, “Whoever wants to be redeemed from sins redeems them by weeping; and whoever wants to acquire virtues acquires them by weeping. For weeping is the way that the Scripture and our Fathers handed down to us, saying, ‘Weep.’ For there is no other way but this.”
Jas 4:9 (echo, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Weeping is the only way to redeem sins and acquire virtues.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: wrong accent): ἐστὶν ἢ ὁδὸς → ἐστὶν ἡ ὁδὸς.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.119 (PG 65:353; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-119). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-119
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.120PG 65:353
Ἠρώτησεν ἀδελφὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα· Τί ἐστι μετάνοια τῆς ἁμαρτίας; Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ γέρων· Τὸ μὴ τοῦ λοιποῦ ποιεῖν αὐτήν. Διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκλήθησαν ἄμωμοι οἱ δίκαιοι, ὅτι κατέλιπον τὰς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ δίκαιοι ἐγένοντο.
Ērōtēsen adelphos ton abban Poimena; Ti esti metanoia tēs hamartias? Kai eipen ho gerōn; To mē tou loipou poiein autēn. Dia touto gar eklēthēsan amōmoi hoi dikaioi, hoti katelipon tas hamartias, kai dikaioi egenonto.
A brother asked abba Poemen, “What is repentance for sin?” And the old man said, “Not to do it any more. For this is why the righteous were called blameless: because they left their sins and became righteous.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Repentance is to sin no more.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.120 (PG 65:353; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-120). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-120
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.121PG 65:353
Εἶπε πάλιν, ὅτι ἡ πονηρία τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὄπισθέν ἐστιν αὐτῶν κεκρυμμένη.
Eipe palin, hoti hē ponēria tōn anthrōpōn opisthen estin autōn kekrymmenē.
He also said, “The wickedness of men is hidden behind them.”
Notes and citation
Summary: People do not see their own wickedness, which lies behind them.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.121 (PG 65:353; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-121). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-121
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.122PG 65:353
Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα· Τί ποιήσω ταῖς ταραχαῖς ταύταις ταῖς ταραττούσαις με; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Κλαύσωμεν ἐνώπιον τῆς ἀγαθότητος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν παντὶ κόπῳ ἡμῶν, ἕως ποιήσει μεθ' ἡμῶν τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ.
Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena; Ti poiēsō tais tarachais tautais tais tarattousais me? Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Klausōmen enōpion tēs agathotētos tou Theou en panti kopǭ hēmōn, heōs poiēsei meth' hēmōn to eleos autou.
A brother asked abba Poemen, “What shall I do about these troubles that trouble me?” The old man says to him, “Let us weep before the goodness of God in all our toil, until he shows us his mercy.”
Notes and citation
Summary: In every trouble, weep before God until he shows mercy.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.122 (PG 65:353; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-122). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-122
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.123PG 65:353
Πάλιν ἠρώτησεν αὐτὸν ὁ ἀδελφός Τί ποιήσω ταῖς ἀκερδέσι μου φιλίαις ἃς ἔχω; Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Ἔστιν ἄνθρωπος ῥέγχων εἰς τὸ ἀποθανεῖν, καὶ προσέχων φιλίαις τοῦ κόσμου τούτου. Μὴ ἐγγίσῃς, μηδὲ ἅψῃ αὐτῶν· καὶ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἀλλοτριοῦνται.
Palin ērōtēsen auton ho adelphos Ti poiēsō tais akerdesi mou philiais has echō? Ho de eipen; Estin anthrōpos rhenchōn eis to apothanein, kai prosechōn philiais tou kosmou toutou. Mē engisę̄s, mēde hapsę̄ autōn; kai aph' heautōn allotriountai.
Again the brother asked him, “What shall I do about the unprofitable friendships I have?” He said, “There is a man in his death rattle who still attends to the friendships of this world. Do not come near them or touch them; and they will fall away of themselves.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Leave unprofitable friendships alone and they will fade.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.123 (PG 65:353; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-123). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-123
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.124PG 65:353
Ἀδελφὸς ἡρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Δύναται ἄνθρωπος εἶναι νεκρός; Λέγει αὐτῷ, ὅτι Ἐὰν φθάσῃ εἰς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, γίνεται ἀποθανών· ἐὰν δὲ φθάσῃ εἰς τὸ ἀγαθὸν, ζήσεται καὶ ποιήσει αὐτό.
Adelphos hērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Dynatai anthrōpos einai nekros? Legei autǭ, hoti Ean phthasę̄ eis tēn hamartian, ginetai apothanōn; ean de phthasę̄ eis to agathon, zēsetai kai poiēsei auto.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “Can a man be dead?” He says to him, “If he comes to sin, he becomes dead; but if he comes to the good, he will live and do it.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Sin makes a man dead; good makes him live.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.124 (PG 65:353; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-124). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-124
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.125PG 65:353
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν, ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ μακάριος ἀββᾶς Ἀντώνιος, ὅτι Ἡ μεγάλη δυναστεία τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐστὶν, ἵνα ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ βάλῃ τὸ ἴδιον σφάλμα ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ προσδοκήσῃ πειρασμὸν ἕως ἐσχάτης ἀναπνοῆς.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn, hoti eipen ho makarios abbas Antōnios, hoti Hē megalē dynasteia tou anthrōpou estin, hina epanō autou balę̄ to idion sphalma enōpion Kyriou, kai prosdokēsę̄ peirasmon heōs eschatēs anapnoēs.
Abba Poemen said that blessed abba Antony said, “The great power of a man is to lay his own fault upon himself before the Lord, and to expect temptation until his last breath.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen repeats Antony: take the blame for your faults and expect temptation to the end.
- The same saying stands under Antony (1.4).
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.125 (PG 65:353; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-125). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-125
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.126PG 65:353
Ἠρωτήθη ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν, ὅτι εἰς τίνα ἔρχεται ὁ λόγος ὁ γεγραμμένος, ὅτι Μὴ φροντίσητε περὶ τῆς αὔριον. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Πρὸς ἄνθρωπον ὄντα ἐν πειρασμῷ καὶ ὀλιγωροῦντα ἐῤῥήθη, ἵνα μὴ φροντίσῃ, λέγων, Πόσον χρόνον ἔχω ἐν τῷ πειρασμῷ τούτῳ; ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον λογίσηται, λέγων καθ᾿ ἑκάστην, τὸ σήμερον.
Ērōtēthē ho abbas Poimēn, hoti eis tina erchetai ho logos ho gegrammenos, hoti Mē phrontisēte peri tēs aurion. Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Pros anthrōpon onta en peirasmǭ kai oligōrounta errhēthē, hina mē phrontisę̄, legōn, Poson chronon echō en tǭ peirasmǭ toutǭ? alla mallon logisētai, legōn kath᾿ hekastēn, to sēmeron.
Abba Poemen was asked to whom the written word applies, “Do not worry about tomorrow.” The old man says to him, “It was said to a man who is in temptation and losing heart, so that he may not worry, saying, ‘How long shall I be in this temptation?’ but rather think, saying each day, ‘Today.’”
Matt 6:34 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: “Do not worry about tomorrow” is for the tempted: live one day at a time.
- Quotation of Matt 6:34.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: word split): ἄνθρω πον → ἄνθρωπον.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.126 (PG 65:353; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-126). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-126
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.127PG 65:353
Εἶπε πάλιν, ὅτι Τὸ διδάξαι τὸν πλησίον ὑγιαίνοντός ἐστι καὶ ἀπαθοῦς· ἐπεὶ τίς χρεία οίκοδομῆσαί τινα ἄλλου οἰκίαν, καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν καταστρέψαι
Eipe palin, hoti To didaxai ton plēsion hygiainontos esti kai apathous; epei tis chreia oikodomēsai tina allou oikian, kai tēn idian katastrepsai
He also said, “Teaching one’s neighbor belongs to one who is healthy and free of passion; for what need is there to build someone else’s house and pull down one’s own?”
Notes and citation
Summary: Only the healthy and passionless should teach others.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.127 (PG 65:353; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-127). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-127
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.128PG 65:353
Πάλιν εἶπεν, ὅτι Τίς χρεία ἀπελθεῖν τινὰ εἰς τέχνην, καὶ μὴ μαθεῖν αὐτήν;
Palin eipen, hoti Tis chreia apelthein tina eis technēn, kai mē mathein autēn?
He also said, “What need is there for someone to go to a trade and not learn it?”
Notes and citation
Summary: There is no point entering a craft without learning it.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.128 (PG 65:353; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-128). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-128
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.129PG 65:353
Εἶπε πάλιν, ὅτι Τὰ ὑπέρμετρα πάντα τῶν δαιμόνων εἰσίν.
Eipe palin, hoti Ta hypermetra panta tōn daimonōn eisin.
He also said, “All excesses are of the demons.”
Notes and citation
Summary: All excess comes from demons.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.129 (PG 65:353; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-129). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-129
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.130PG 65:353–355
Εἶπε πάλιν, Ὅτι ὅταν μέλλῃ ἄνθρωπος οἰκοδομῆσαι οἶκον, πολλὰς χρείας συνάγει, ὅπως δυνηθῇ στῆσαι τὸν οἶκον, καὶ διάφορα δὲ εἴδη συνάγει. Οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς, λάβωμεν πρὸς μικρὸν ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν.
Eipe palin, Hoti hotan mellę̄ anthrōpos oikodomēsai oikon, pollas chreias synagei, hopōs dynēthę̄ stēsai ton oikon, kai diaphora de eidē synagei. Houtōs kai hēmeis, labōmen pros mikron apo pasōn tōn aretōn.
He also said, “When a man is about to build a house, he gathers many materials so as to be able to raise the house, and he gathers various kinds. So let us too take a little from all the virtues.”
Notes and citation
Summary: As a builder gathers varied materials, take a little of every virtue.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: wrong breathing): Οὗτως καὶ → Οὕτως καὶ.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.130 (PG 65:353–355; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-130). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-130
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.131PG 65:355
Ἠρώτησάν τινες τῶν Πατέρων τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγοντες· Πῶς οὕτως ἠνέσχετο ὁ ἀββᾶς Νισθερῶος τοῦ μαθητοῦ αὐτοῦ; Λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· Εἰ ἐγὼ ἤμην, καὶ τὸ κερδικάριον ἐτίθουν πρὸς κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἀνούβ· Καὶ τί ἔλεγες τῷ Θεῷ; Λέγει ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· Ἐρῶ οὖν, ὅτι Σὺ εἶπας· Ἔκβαλε πρῶτον τὴν δοκὸν ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ σου, καὶ τότε διαβλέψεις ἐκβαλεῖν τὸ κάρφος ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου.
Ērōtēsan tines tōn Paterōn ton abban Poimena, legontes; Pōs houtōs ēnescheto ho abbas Nistherōos tou mathētou autou? Legei autois ho abbas Poimēn; Ei egō ēmēn, kai to kerdikarion etithoun pros kephalēn autou. Legei autǭ ho abbas Anoub; Kai ti eleges tǭ Theǭ? Legei ho abbas Poimēn; Erō oun, hoti Sy eipas; Ekbale prōton tēn dokon ek tou ophthalmou sou, kai tote diablepseis ekbalein to karphos ek tou ophthalmou tou adelphou sou.
Some of the Fathers asked abba Poemen, saying, “How did abba Nisterus bear so much with his disciple?” Abba Poemen says to them, “If I had been there, I would even have put the pillow under his head.” Abba Anoub says to him, “And what would you have said to God?” Abba Poemen says, “I would say, ‘You said, “First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”’”
Matt 7:5 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen would have pampered Nisterus’s difficult disciple, citing the beam and the speck.
- Quotation of Matt 7:5.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.131 (PG 65:355; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-131). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-131
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.132PG 65:355
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· Ἡ πεῖνα καὶ ὁ νυσταγμός οὐκ ἀφῆκεν ἡμᾶς ἰδεῖν ταῦτα τὰ εὐτελῆ.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn; Hē peina kai ho nystagmos ouk aphēken hēmas idein tauta ta eutelē.
Abba Poemen said, “Hunger and sleepiness did not let us see these petty things.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Fasting and vigil kept the old monks from noticing trifles.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.132 (PG 65:355; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-132). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-132
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.133PG 65:355
Εἶπε πάλιν Πολλοὶ ἐγένοντο δυνατοὶ, ὀλίγοι δὲ παροξύναντες.
Eipe palin Polloi egenonto dynatoi, oligoi de paroxynantes.
He also said, “Many became powerful, but few were provoked.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Many were strong, but few were stirred to zeal.
- The sense of παροξύναντες is uncertain (perhaps “few spurred others on”).
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.133 (PG 65:355; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-133). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-133
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.134PG 65:355
Εἶπε πάλιν, μετὰ στεναγμῶν Πᾶσαι αἱ ἀρεταὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦτον εἰσῆλθον, παρὰ μίαν ἀρετὴν· καὶ ἐκτὸς αὐτῆς κόπῳ ἵσταται ἄνθρωπος. Ἠρώτησαν οὖν αὐτὸν τίς ἐστι. Καὶ εἶπεν· Ἵνα ὁ ἄνθρωπος μέμψηται ἑαυτόν.
Eipe palin, meta stenagmōn Pasai hai aretai eis ton oikon touton eisēlthon, para mian aretēn; kai ektos autēs kopǭ histatai anthrōpos. Ērōtēsan oun auton tis esti. Kai eipen; Hina ho anthrōpos mempsētai heauton.
He also said, with groans, “All the virtues have come into this house except one virtue; and without it a man stands with difficulty.” So they asked him what it is. And he said, “That a man blame himself.”
Notes and citation
Summary: The missing virtue in the community is self-blame.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.134 (PG 65:355; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-134). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-134
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.135PG 65:355
Ἔλεγε πολλάκις ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν, ὅτι Οὐ δεόμεθά τινος, εἰ μὴ νηφούσης διανοίας.
Elege pollakis ho abbas Poimēn, hoti Ou deometha tinos, ei mē nēphousēs dianoias.
Abba Poemen often said, “We need nothing except a watchful mind.”
Notes and citation
Summary: A watchful mind is all we need.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: word split): δεό μεθά → δεόμεθά.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.135 (PG 65:355; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-135). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-135
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.136PG 65:355
Ἠρώτησέ τις τῶν Πατέρων τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων, Μέτοχος ἐγώ εἰμι πάντων τῶν φοβουμένων σε Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ γέρων· Τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιόν ἐστιν ὁ λέγων.
Ērōtēse tis tōn Paterōn ton abban Poimena, legōn; Tis estin ho legōn, Metochos egō eimi pantōn tōn phoboumenōn se Kai eipen ho gerōn; To Pneuma to hagion estin ho legōn.
One of the Fathers asked abba Poemen, saying, “Who is it who says, ‘I am a companion of all who fear you’?” And the old man said, “It is the Holy Spirit who says it.”
Ps 119:63 (118:63 LXX) (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen ascribes the psalm verse about companionship with the God-fearing to the Holy Spirit.
- Quotation of Ps 119:63 (LXX 118:63).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: letter lost): Πο:μένα → Ποιμένα.
Topics: Scripture and canon
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.136 (PG 65:355; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-136). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-136
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.137PG 65:355
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν, ὅτι ἠρώτησεν ἀδελφὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Σίμωνα, λέγων, ὅτι Ἐὰν ἐξέλθω ἐκ τοῦ κελλίου μου, καὶ εὕρω τὸν ἀδελφόν μου περισπώμενον, κἀγὼ περισπῶμαι μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐὰν εὕρω αὐτὸν γελῶντα, κἀγὼ γελῶ μετ' αὐτοῦ· ἐὰν οὖν εἰσέλθω εἰς τὸ κελλίον μου, οὐκ ἀφίεμαι ἀνάπαυσιν ἔχειν. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Θέλεις, ἐὰν ἐξέλθῃς ἐκ τοῦ κελλίου σου, καὶ εὕρῃς τοὺς γελῶντας, καὶ σὺ γελάσαι· καὶ τοὺς λαλοῦντας, καὶ σὺ λαλῆσαι· καὶ εἰσέλθῃς εἰς τὸ κελλίον σου, καὶ εὕρῃς ἑαυτὸν ὡς ἧς; Λέγει ὁ ἀδελφός· Ἀλλὰ τί; Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ γέρων εἶπεν· Ἔσω τήρει φυλακήν, ἔξω τήρει φυλακήν.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn, hoti ērōtēsen adelphos ton abban Simōna, legōn, hoti Ean exelthō ek tou kelliou mou, kai heurō ton adelphon mou perispōmenon, kagō perispōmai met᾿ autou; kai ean heurō auton gelōnta, kagō gelō met' autou; ean oun eiselthō eis to kellion mou, ouk aphiemai anapausin echein. Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Theleis, ean exelthę̄s ek tou kelliou sou, kai heurę̄s tous gelōntas, kai sy gelasai; kai tous lalountas, kai sy lalēsai; kai eiselthę̄s eis to kellion sou, kai heurę̄s heauton hōs hēs? Legei ho adelphos; Alla ti? Kai apokritheis ho gerōn eipen; Esō tērei phylakēn, exō tērei phylakēn.
Abba Poemen said that a brother asked abba Simon, saying, “If I go out of my cell and find my brother distracted, I too am distracted with him; and if I find him laughing, I too laugh with him; then when I go into my cell, I am not allowed to have rest.” The old man says to him, “Do you want, when you go out of your cell and find people laughing, to laugh too, and those talking, to talk too, and then to go into your cell and find yourself as you were?” The brother says, “But what then?” And the old man answered, “Keep watch inside, keep watch outside.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Simon tells a brother to keep watch over himself both inside and outside his cell.
- Two displaced fragments printed at the end in the scan (one belonging to the next saying, one to another saying) are removed; the first is restored in 89.138.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (displaced fragments of other sayings (the first restored in 89.138)): Ο μετὰ τὸ γεύσασθαι ὁμοῦ, λέγει ἡμῖν· Ὑπάγετε, ἀναἀδελφῶν, ἐστέναξε μέγα· καὶ αὐτῶν πυθομένων τὴν → .
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.137 (PG 65:355; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-137). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-137
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.138PG 65:355
Ἔλεγεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Δανιήλ, ὅτι Παρεβάλομέν ποτε τῷ ἀββᾷ Ποιμένι, καὶ ἐγευσάμεθα ὁμοῦ. Καὶ μετὰ τὸ γεύσασθαι ὁμοῦ, λέγει ἡμῖν· Ὑπάγετε, ἀναπαύεσθε μικρὸν, ἀδελφοί. Ἀπῆλθον οὖν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ μικρὸν ἀναπαῆναι, κἀγὼ παρέμεινα λαλῆσαι αὐτῷ κατὰ μόνας, καὶ ἀναστὰς ἦλθον εἰς τὴν κέλλαν αὐτοῦ. Ὡς οὖν εἶδέ με ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἔθηκεν ἑαυτὸν ὡς κοιμώμενον. Αὐτὴ γὰρ ἦν ἡ ἐργασία τοῦ γέροντος, πάντα ἐν κρυπτῷ ποιεῖν.
Elegen ho abbas Daniēl, hoti Parebalomen pote tǭ abbą Poimeni, kai egeusametha homou. Kai meta to geusasthai homou, legei hēmin; Hypagete, anapauesthe mikron, adelphoi. Apēlthon oun hoi adelphoi mikron anapaēnai, kagō paremeina lalēsai autǭ kata monas, kai anastas ēlthon eis tēn kellan autou. Hōs oun eide me erchomenon pros auton, ethēken heauton hōs koimōmenon. Autē gar ēn hē ergasia tou gerontos, panta en kryptǭ poiein.
Abba Daniel said, “Once we visited abba Poemen and ate together. And after eating together, he says to us, ‘Go, rest a little, brothers.’ So the brothers went away to rest a little, but I stayed to speak with him privately, and getting up I came to his cell. When he saw me coming to him, he lay down as though asleep.” For this was the old man’s practice, to do everything in secret.
Matt 6:6 (echo, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen pretends to sleep to hide his practice when Daniel comes to talk privately.
- The words “after eating together, he says to us, ‘Go,’” displaced in the scan to the end of 89.137, are restored here.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (words displaced by the OCR into the previous saying restored (same words as in the scan)): ὁμοῦ. Καὶ παύεσθε → ὁμοῦ. Καὶ μετὰ τὸ γεύσασθαι ὁμοῦ, λέγει ἡμῖν· Ὑπάγετε, ἀναπαύεσθε.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.138 (PG 65:355; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-138). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-138
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.139PG 65:355–357
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· Ἐὰν ἴδῃς θεάματα, καὶ ἀκοὰς ἀκούσῃς, μὴ διηγοῦ αὐτὰ τῷ πλησίον σου· ἀνατροπὴ γάρ ἐστι πολέμου.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn; Ean idę̄s theamata, kai akoas akousę̄s, mē diēgou auta tǭ plēsion sou; anatropē gar esti polemou.
Abba Poemen said, “If you see sights and hear reports, do not tell them to your neighbor; for it is the overthrow of the war.”
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Do not pass on what you see and hear, for it stirs up the spiritual war.
- A variant form of saying 134 (from Migne’s notes) merged into the sentence is removed. “Overthrow of the war” is obscure (perhaps “it stirs up war”).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (variant form of another saying from Migne’s notes merged into the sentence): αἰτίαν, Πᾶσαι, φησὶν, αἱ ἀρεταὶ συνήχθησαν ἐν τῇ κέλλῃ ταύτῃ χωρὶς μιᾶς, ἧς χωρὶς οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν Κύριον· ἔλεγε δὲ ταύτην εἶναι, τὸ ἑαυτὸν μέμφεσθαι. → .
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.139 (PG 65:355–357; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-139). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-139
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.140PG 65:357
Εἶπε πάλιν· Τὸ πρῶτον φύγε ἅπαξ, τὸ δεύτερον φύγε, τὸ τρίτον, γενοῦ ῥομφαία.
Eipe palin; To prōton phyge hapax, to deuteron phyge, to triton, genou rhomphaia.
He also said, “The first time, flee; the second time, flee; the third time, become a sword.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Flee temptation twice, then turn and fight.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: word split): δεύτε ρον → δεύτερον.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.140 (PG 65:357; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-140). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-140
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.141PG 65:357
Εἶπε πάλιν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν τῷ ἀββᾷ Ἰσαάκ· Κούφισον μέρος τῆς δικαιοσύνης σου, καὶ ἕξεις ἀνάπαυσιν τὰς ὀλίγας ἡμέρας σου.
Eipe palin ho abbas Poimēn tǭ abbą Isaak; Kouphison meros tēs dikaiosynēs sou, kai hexeis anapausin tas oligas hēmeras sou.
Abba Poemen also said to abba Isaac, “Lighten part of your righteousness, and you will have rest in your few days.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen counsels Isaac to relax some of his strictness.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: word split with stray mark): ἀνά· παυσιν → ἀνάπαυσιν.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.141 (PG 65:357; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-141). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-141
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.142PG 65:357
Ἀδελφὸς παρέβαλε τῷ ἀββᾷ Ποιμένι· καὶ συγκαθεζομένων τινῶν, ἐπήνεσέ τινα ἀδελφὸν, ὡς ὅτι μισοπονηρός ἐστι. Λέγει ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν τῷ λαλήσαντι· Καὶ τί ἐστι μισοπονηρία; Ἐξέστη δὲ ὁ ἀδελφὸς, καὶ οὐχ εὖρεν ἀποκριθῆναι· ἀναστὰς δὲ μετενόησε τῷ γέροντι, λέγων· Εἰπέ μοι τί ἐστι μισοπονηρία; Ἔφη ὁ γέρων· Μισοπονηρία αὕτη ἐστὶν, εἴ τις τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ ἐμίσησε, καὶ τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἐδικαίωσεν.
Adelphos parebale tǭ abbą Poimeni; kai synkathezomenōn tinōn, epēnese tina adelphon, hōs hoti misoponēros esti. Legei ho abbas Poimēn tǭ lalēsanti; Kai ti esti misoponēria? Exestē de ho adelphos, kai ouch euren apokrithēnai; anastas de metenoēse tǭ geronti, legōn; Eipe moi ti esti misoponēria? Ephē ho gerōn; Misoponēria hautē estin, ei tis tas hamartias autou emisēse, kai ton plēsion autou edikaiōsen.
A brother visited abba Poemen; and while some were sitting with them, he praised a certain brother as a hater of evil. Abba Poemen says to the one who had spoken, “And what is hatred of evil?” The brother was taken aback and found nothing to answer; and getting up he made a prostration to the old man, saying, “Tell me, what is hatred of evil?” The old man said, “This is hatred of evil: if someone has hated his own sins and justified his neighbor.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen defines hatred of evil as hating one’s own sins and justifying one’s neighbor.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: word split): μετενόη σε → μετενόησε.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.142 (PG 65:357; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-142). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-142
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.143PG 65:357
Ἀδελφὸς παραβαλὼν τῷ ἀββᾷ Ποιμένι, λέγει αὐτῷ· Τί ποιήσω; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Ὕπαγε, πλησίασον μετὰ τοῦ λέγοντος, Τί θέλω ἐγώ; καὶ ἕξεις ἀνάπαυσιν.
Adelphos parabalōn tǭ abbą Poimeni, legei autǭ; Ti poiēsō? Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Hypage, plēsiason meta tou legontos, Ti thelō egō? kai hexeis anapausin.
A brother visited abba Poemen and says to him, “What shall I do?” The old man says to him, “Go, attach yourself to one who says, ‘What do I want?’ and you will have rest.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Keep company with one who has no will of his own.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.143 (PG 65:357; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-143). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-143
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.144PG 65:357
Διηγήσατο ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἰωσὴφ, ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἰσαὰκ, ὅτι Ἐκαθήμην ποτὲ πρὸς τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα· καὶ εἶδον αὐτὸν ἐν ἐκστάσει γενόμενον· καὶ ἐπειδὴ εἶχον πρὸς αὐτὸν πολλὴν παῤῥησίαν, ἔβαλον αὐτῷ μετάνοιαν, καὶ παρεκάλεσα αὐτὸν, λέγων· Εἰπέ μοι, ποῦ ἧς; Ὁ δὲ ἀναγκασθεὶς εἶπεν· Ὁ ἐμὸς λογισμὸς, ὅπου ἡ ἁγία Μαρία ἡ Θεοτόκος ἕστηκε, καὶ ἔκλαιεν ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος· καὶ ἐγὼ ἤθελον πάντοτε οὕτως κλαίειν.
Diēgēsato ho abbas Iōsēph, hoti eipen ho abbas Isaak, hoti Ekathēmēn pote pros ton abban Poimena; kai eidon auton en ekstasei genomenon; kai epeidē eichon pros auton pollēn parrhēsian, ebalon autǭ metanoian, kai parekalesa auton, legōn; Eipe moi, pou hēs? Ho de anankastheis eipen; Ho emos logismos, hopou hē hagia Maria hē Theotokos hestēke, kai eklaien epi tou staurou tou Sōtēros; kai egō ēthelon pantote houtōs klaiein.
Abba Joseph related that abba Isaac said, “Once I was sitting with abba Poemen, and I saw him in ecstasy; and since I had great freedom with him, I made a prostration to him and begged him, saying, ‘Tell me, where were you?’ And under pressure he said, ‘My thought was where holy Mary the Theotokos stood and wept at the cross of the Savior; and I would like always to weep like that.’”
John 19:25 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: In ecstasy Poemen was with Mary weeping at the cross.
- Mary at the cross: John 19:25.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.144 (PG 65:357; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-144). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-144
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.145PG 65:357
Αδελφὸς ἡρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Τί ποιήσω τῷ βάρει τούτῳ τῷ συνέχοντί με; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων, ὅτι Τὰ μικρὰ πλοῖα καὶ τὰ μεγάλα ἔχουσι ζώνας, ἵνα ἂν μὴ ᾖ εὔφορος ἄνεμος, βάλωσι τὸ παρόλκιον καὶ τὰς ζώνας εἰς τὰ στήθη αὐτῶν, καὶ κατ' ὀλίγον ἕλκωσι τὸ πλοῖον ἕως οὗ ὁ Θεὸς πέμψῃ τὸν ἄνεμον· ἐὰν δὲ μάθωσιν ὅτι ἀνέστη γνόφος, τότε δὴ ὁρμῶσι καὶ βάλλουσι πάσσαλον, ἵνα μὴ ῥέμβηται. Ὁ πάσσαλος δέ ἐστι τὸ ἑαυτὸν μέμφεσθαι.
Adelphos hērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Ti poiēsō tǭ barei toutǭ tǭ synechonti me? Legei autǭ ho gerōn, hoti Ta mikra ploia kai ta megala echousi zōnas, hina an mē ę̄ euphoros anemos, balōsi to parolkion kai tas zōnas eis ta stēthē autōn, kai kat' oligon helkōsi to ploion heōs hou ho Theos pempsę̄ ton anemon; ean de mathōsin hoti anestē gnophos, tote dē hormōsi kai ballousi passalon, hina mē rhembētai. Ho passalos de esti to heauton memphesthai.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “What shall I do about this heaviness that oppresses me?” The old man says to him, “Small and large boats have towlines, so that if there is no favorable wind, they put the towrope and the lines over their chests and little by little pull the boat until God sends the wind; but if they learn that darkness has come on, then they hasten to drive in a stake, so that it does not drift. … The stake is blaming oneself.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen likens persevering in heaviness to towing a boat, and self-blame to the stake that holds it in the dark.
- The last sentence, displaced in the scan into 89.148, is restored here; words may be lost before it (“…”).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: wrong accent; last sentence, displaced by the OCR into 89.148, restored (same words as in the scan)): ἄνεστη γνόφος → ἀνέστη γνόφος; ἵνα μὴ ῥέμβηται → ἵνα μὴ ῥέμβηται. Ὁ πάσσαλος δέ ἐστι τὸ ἑαυτὸν μέμφεσθαι..
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.145 (PG 65:357; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-145). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-145
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.146PG 65:357
Αδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα διὰ τὰς τῶν λογισμῶν ἐπηρείας. Καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Τοῦτο τὸ πρᾶγμα ἔοικεν ἀνδρὶ ἔχοντι πῦρ ἐξ εὐωνύμων, καὶ κρατῆρα ὕδατος ἐκ δεξιῶν. Ἐὰν οὖν ἀφθῇ τὸ πῦρ, λάβῃ ἐκ τοῦ κρατῆρος τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ σβέσῃ αὐτό. Τὸ πῦρ ἐστιν ὁ σπόρος τοῦ ἐχθροῦ· τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ, τὸ ῥίψαι ἑαυτὸν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.
Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena dia tas tōn logismōn epēreias. Kai legei autǭ ho gerōn; Touto to pragma eoiken andri echonti pyr ex euōnymōn, kai kratēra hydatos ek dexiōn. Ean oun aphthę̄ to pyr, labę̄ ek tou kratēros to hydōr, kai sbesę̄ auto. To pyr estin ho sporos tou echthrou; to de hydōr, to rhipsai heauton enōpion tou Theou.
A brother asked abba Poemen about the harassment of thoughts. And the old man says to him, “This is like a man who has fire on his left and a bowl of water on his right. If the fire flares up, let him take water from the bowl and put it out. The fire is the seed of the enemy; the water is throwing oneself down before God.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Quench the enemy’s fire of thoughts with the water of throwing oneself before God.
Topics: Prayer
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.146 (PG 65:357; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-146). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-146
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.147PG 65:357
Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Βέλτιόν ἐστι τὸ λαλῆσαι ἢ σιωπῆσαι; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων, ὅτι Ὁ λαλῶν διὰ τὸν Θεὸν καλῶς ποιεῖ, καὶ ὁ σιωπῶν διὰ τὸν Θεὸν, ὁμοίως.
Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Beltion esti to lalēsai ē siōpēsai? Legei autǭ ho gerōn, hoti Ho lalōn dia ton Theon kalōs poiei, kai ho siōpōn dia ton Theon, homoiōs.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “Is it better to speak or to keep silent?” The old man says to him, “One who speaks for God’s sake does well, and one who keeps silent for God’s sake likewise.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Speech and silence are both good if for God’s sake.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.147 (PG 65:357; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-147). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-147
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.148PG 65:357–359
Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Πῶς δύναται ἄνθρωπος ἐκφυγεῖν τῷ κακῶς εἰπεῖν τῷ πλησίον; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Ἡμεῖς καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν, δύο εἰκόνες ἐσμέν· ἣν δ᾽ ἂν ὥραν ἄνθρωπος ἑαυτῷ προσέχῃ καὶ μέμψηται, εὑρίσκεται ἔντιμος παρ᾿ αὐτῷ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ· ὅτε δὲ ἑαυτῷ φαίνεται καλὸς, εὑρίσκει τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ κακὸν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ.
Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Pōs dynatai anthrōpos ekphygein tǭ kakōs eipein tǭ plēsion? Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Hēmeis kai hoi adelphoi hēmōn, dyo eikones esmen; hēn d᾽ an hōran anthrōpos heautǭ prosechę̄ kai mempsētai, heurisketai entimos par᾿ autǭ ho adelphos autou; hote de heautǭ phainetai kalos, heuriskei ton adelphon autou kakon enōpion autou.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “How can a man avoid speaking evil of his neighbor?” The old man says to him, “We and our brothers are two images: whenever a man attends to himself and blames himself, his brother is found precious in his sight; but when he seems good to himself, he finds his brother bad in his sight.”
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Notes and citation
Summary: Self-blame makes one’s brother seem precious; self-esteem makes him seem bad.
- A sentence belonging to 89.145 and a variant note are removed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: letter slip; sentence displaced from 89.145 (restored there) and a variant note (“Al.”)): ἐἱ ἀδελφοὶ → οἱ ἀδελφοὶ; ὥραν ὁ πάσσαλος δέ ἐστι τὸ ἑαυτὸν μέμφεσθαι. ΑΙ. τό. ἄνθρωπος → ὥραν ἄνθρωπος; κακὶν → κακὸν.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.148 (PG 65:357–359; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-148). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-148
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.149PG 65:359
Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα διὰ τὴν ἀκηδίαν. Καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων, ὅτι Ἡ ἀκηδία στήκει ἐπὶ πάσῃ ἀρχῇ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι χεῖρον αὐτῆς πάθος· ἀλλ᾽ ἐὰν γνωρίσῃ αὐτὴν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι αὕτη ἐστὶν, ἀναπαύεται.
Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena dia tēn akēdian. Kai legei autǭ ho gerōn, hoti Hē akēdia stēkei epi pasę̄ archę̄, kai ouk esti cheiron autēs pathos; all᾽ ean gnōrisę̄ autēn ho anthrōpos, hoti hautē estin, anapauetai.
A brother asked abba Poemen about listlessness. And the old man says to him, “Listlessness stands at every beginning, and there is no worse passion; but if a man recognizes it for what it is, he is at rest.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Listlessness attends every beginning but loses power once recognized.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.149 (PG 65:359; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-149). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-149
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.150PG 65:359
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν, ὅτι Τρεῖς σωματικάς πράξεις ἴδομεν τοῦ ἀββᾶ Παμβώ· ἀσιτίαν ἕως ὀψὲ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, καὶ σιωπὴν, καὶ μέγα ἐργόχειρον.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn, hoti Treis sōmatikas praxeis idomen tou abba Pambō; asitian heōs opse kath' hekastēn hēmeran, kai siōpēn, kai mega ergocheiron.
Abba Poemen said, “We saw three bodily practices in abba Pambo: fasting until evening every day, silence, and much handiwork.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Pambo fasted daily till evening, kept silence, and worked hard.
Topics: Fasting
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.150 (PG 65:359; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-150). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-150
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.151PG 65:359
Εἶπε πάλιν, ὅτι ἔλεγεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Θεωνᾶς, ὅτι Κἂν κερδήσῃ τις ἀρετὴν, ὁ Θεὸς οὐ παρέχει μόνῳ αὐτῷ τὴν χάριν· οἶδε γὰρ ὅτι οὐκ ἦν πιστὸς τοῦ ἰδίου καμάτου· ἀλλ᾽ ἐὰν ἀπέλθῃ πρὸς τὸν ἑταῖρον αὐτοῦ, τότε παραμένει αὐτῷ. ρυβ΄. Αδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Θέλω εἰς κοινόβιον εἰσελθεῖν, καὶ οἰκῆσαι. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Εἰ θέλεις εἰς κοινόβιον εἰσελθεῖν, εἰ μὴ ἀμεριμνήσῃς ἀπὸ πάσης συντυχίας καὶ παντὸς πράγματος, οὐ δύνασαι κοινόβιον ἐργάσασθαι· τοῦ γὰρ βαυκαλίου μόνου οὐκ ἔχεις ἐξουσίαν. ρνγ'. Ἀδελφὸς ἡρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Τί ποιήσω; Καὶ εἶπεν· Γέγραπται, ὅτι Τὴν ἀνομίαν μου ἐγὼ ἀναγγελῶ, καὶ μεριμνήσω ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας μου.
Eipe palin, hoti elegen ho abbas Theōnas, hoti Kan kerdēsę̄ tis aretēn, ho Theos ou parechei monǭ autǭ tēn charin; oide gar hoti ouk ēn pistos tou idiou kamatou; all᾽ ean apelthę̄ pros ton hetairon autou, tote paramenei autǭ. ryb΄. Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Thelō eis koinobion eiselthein, kai oikēsai. Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Ei theleis eis koinobion eiselthein, ei mē amerimnēsę̄s apo pasēs syntychias kai pantos pragmatos, ou dynasai koinobion ergasasthai; tou gar baukaliou monou ouk echeis exousian. rng'. Adelphos hērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Ti poiēsō? Kai eipen; Gegraptai, hoti Tēn anomian mou egō anangelō, kai merimnēsō hyper tēs hamartias mou.
He also said that abba Theonas used to say, “Even if someone gains a virtue, God does not give him the grace for himself alone; for he knows that he was not faithful in his own labor; but if he goes to his companion, then it stays with him.” [152] A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “I want to enter a community and live there.” The old man says to him, “If you want to enter a community, unless you become free of care about every meeting and every matter, you cannot do the work of a community; for you will not have authority even over the jug alone.” [153] A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “What shall I do?” And he said, “It is written, ‘I will declare my iniquity, and I will be anxious over my sin.’”
Ps 38:18 (37:19 LXX) (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Theonas says grace stays with one who shares it; Poemen warns that the community requires giving up all control, and answers with a psalm of confession.
- The scan runs Poemen 152 and 153 (numbered in the print) into this saying; marked [152] and [153]. Quotation of Ps 38:18 (LXX 37:19).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: repeated word; OCR: wrong breathing): εἶσελθεῖν → εἰσελθεῖν; μόνου μόνον → μόνου.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.151 (PG 65:359; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-151). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-151
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.154PG 65:359
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· Τῆς πορνείας καὶ τῆς καταλαλιᾶς οὐ δέον ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπον τὸ σύνολον οὐδὲ λαλῆσαι τοὺς δύο λογισμοὺς τούτους, οὐδὲ ὅλως ἐννοῆσαι τῇ καρδίᾳ. Ἐάν τε γὰρ θέλῃ ὅλως διακρίναι αὐτὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ὠφελεῖται· ἀλλ᾽ ἀγριανθεὶς ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν ἔξει ἀνάπαυσιν.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn; Tēs porneias kai tēs katalalias ou deon estin anthrōpon to synolon oude lalēsai tous dyo logismous toutous, oude holōs ennoēsai tę̄ kardią. Ean te gar thelę̄ holōs diakrinai auta en tę̄ kardią autou, ouk ōpheleitai; all᾽ agriantheis ap᾿ autōn exei anapausin.
Abba Poemen said, “With sexual immorality and slander a man ought not to speak these two thoughts at all, nor even think of them in his heart. For if he wants to examine them at all in his heart, he does not benefit; but if he turns fiercely away from them, he will have rest.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Do not even entertain thoughts of lust or slander; turn sharply from them.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.154 (PG 65:359; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-154). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-154
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.155PG 65:359
Ἔλεγον οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ ἀββᾶ Ποιμένος αὐτῷ· Ἀπέλθωμεν ἐκ τοῦ τόπου τούτου· ὀχλοῦσι γὰρ τὰ μοναστήρια τοῦ τόπου τούτου ἡμῖν, καὶ ἀπόλλυμεν τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν· ἰδοὺ καὶ τὰ παιδία κλαίοντα οὐκ ἀφίουσιν ἡμᾶς ἡσυχάσαι. Λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· Διὰ τὰς φωνὰς τῶν ἀγγέλων θέλετε ἀναχωρήσαι ἔνθεν.
Elegon hoi adelphoi tou abba Poimenos autǭ; Apelthōmen ek tou topou toutou; ochlousi gar ta monastēria tou topou toutou hēmin, kai apollymen tas psychas hēmōn; idou kai ta paidia klaionta ouk aphiousin hēmas hēsychasai. Legei autois ho abbas Poimēn; Dia tas phōnas tōn angelōn thelete anachōrēsai enthen.
Abba Poemen’s brothers said to him, “Let us leave this place; for the monasteries of this place trouble us, and we are losing our souls; look, even the children crying do not let us live in stillness.” Abba Poemen says to them, “You want to leave here because of the voices of angels?”
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen calls the crying of children the voices of angels and refuses to leave.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: breathing lost): οἱ αδελφοὶ → οἱ ἀδελφοὶ.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.155 (PG 65:359; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-155). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-155
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.156PG 65:359
Ἠρώτησεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Βιτίμιος τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Ἐάν τις ἔχῃ πρὸς ἐμὲ λύπην, καὶ μετανοήσω αὐτῷ, καὶ μὴ πεισθῇ, τί ποιήσω; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Λάβε μετὰ σοῦ ἄλλους δύο ἀδελφοὺς, καὶ μετανόησον αὐτῷ. Καὶ ἐὰν μὴ πεισθῇ, λάβε ἄλλους πέντε. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τούτοις μὴ πεισθῇ, λάβε πρεσβύτερον. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ οὕτως μὴ πεισθῇ, ἀταράχως λοιπὸν εἶξαι τῷ Θεῷ, ἵνα αὐτὸς πληροφορήσῃ αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀμεριμνήσῃς.
Ērōtēsen ho abbas Bitimios ton abban Poimena, legōn; Ean tis echę̄ pros eme lypēn, kai metanoēsō autǭ, kai mē peisthę̄, ti poiēsō? Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Labe meta sou allous dyo adelphous, kai metanoēson autǭ. Kai ean mē peisthę̄, labe allous pente. Ean de kai toutois mē peisthę̄, labe presbyteron. Ean de kai houtōs mē peisthę̄, atarachōs loipon eixai tǭ Theǭ, hina autos plērophorēsę̄ auton, kai amerimnēsę̄s.
Abba Bitimius asked abba Poemen, saying, “If someone has a grievance against me, and I make a prostration of apology to him, and he is not persuaded, what shall I do?” The old man says to him, “Take two other brothers with you and apologize to him. And if he is not persuaded, take five others. And if he is not persuaded by them either, take a presbyter. And if he is still not persuaded, then calmly leave it to God, that he may convince him, and be free of care.”
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Matt 18:16 (echo, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen gives steps for seeking reconciliation, ending by leaving it to God.
- A variant note is removed. Cf. Matt 18:15–17.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: word split; variant note (“Al.”) from Migne’s apparatus): Λέγει ΑΙ. τὰ τοῦ κοινοβίου. αὐτῷ → Λέγει αὐτῷ; ἄλ λους → ἄλλους.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.156 (PG 65:359; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-156). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-156
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.157PG 65:359
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν, ὅτι Τὸ διδάξαι τὸν πλησίον, ὅμοιόν ἐστι τοῦ ἐλέγξαι.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn, hoti To didaxai ton plēsion, homoion esti tou elenxai.
Abba Poemen said, “Teaching one’s neighbor is like rebuking him.”
Notes and citation
Summary: To teach a neighbor is to rebuke him.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.157 (PG 65:359; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-157). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-157
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.158PG 65:359–361
Εἶπε πάλιν· Μὴ πληρώσῃς τὸ θέλημά σου, Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ ἐστι μᾶλλον ταπεινῶσαι ἑαυτὸν τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου. ρυθ'. Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Εὗρον τόπον ἔχοντα πᾶσαν ἀνάπαυσιν τῶν ἀδελφῶν· Θέλεις οἰκήσω ἐκεῖ; καὶ εἶπεν ὁ γέρων· "Ὅπου οὐ βλάπτεις τὸν ἀδελφόν σου, ἐκεῖ μεῖνον.
Eipe palin; Mē plērōsę̄s to thelēma sou, Anankaion de esti mallon tapeinōsai heauton tǭ adelphǭ sou. ryth'. Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Heuron topon echonta pasan anapausin tōn adelphōn; Theleis oikēsō ekei? kai eipen ho gerōn; "Hopou ou blapteis ton adelphon sou, ekei meinon.
He also said, “Do not fulfill your own will; it is more necessary to humble yourself before your brother.” [159] A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “I have found a place that has every comfort for the brothers. Do you want me to live there?” And the old man said, “Where you do not harm your brother, stay there.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Humble yourself rather than do your will; live where you do not harm your brother.
- The scan runs Poemen 159 (numbered in the print) into this saying; marked [159].
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.158 (PG 65:359–361; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-158). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-158
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.160PG 65:361
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· Τὰ τρία ταῦτα κεφάλαιά ἐστι χρήσιμα· τὸ φοβεῖσθαι τὸν Κύριον, καὶ τὸ εὔξασθαι καὶ τὸ ποιῆσαι ἀγαθὸν τῷ πλησίον.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn; Ta tria tauta kephalaia esti chrēsima; to phobeisthai ton Kyrion, kai to euxasthai kai to poiēsai agathon tǭ plēsion.
Abba Poemen said, “These three chief things are useful: fearing the Lord, praying, and doing good to one’s neighbor.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Fear God, pray, and do good to your neighbor.
Topics: Prayer
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.160 (PG 65:361; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-160). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-160
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.161PG 65:361
Ἀδελφὸς εἶπε τῷ ἀββᾷ Ποιμένι· Τὸ σῶμά μου ἐξησθένησε, καὶ τὰ πάθη μου οὐκ ἐξασθενοῦσι. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Ἀκανθώδεις ῥουσίδες εἰσὶ τὰ πάθη.
Adelphos eipe tǭ abbą Poimeni; To sōma mou exēsthenēse, kai ta pathē mou ouk exasthenousi. Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Akanthōdeis rhousides eisi ta pathē.
A brother said to abba Poemen, “My body has grown weak, and my passions do not grow weak.” The old man says to him, “The passions are thorny roots.”
Notes and citation
Summary: The passions outlast the body like thorny roots.
- ῥουσίδες is uncertain (perhaps “roots” or “shrubs”).
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.161 (PG 65:361; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-161). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-161
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.162PG 65:361
Ἀδελφὸς ἡρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Τί ποιήσω; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Ὅταν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπισκέπτηται ἡμᾶς, τίνος ἔχομεν φροντίσαι Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἀδελφός· Τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν. Λέγει οὖν ὁ γέρων· Εἰσέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ κελλίον ἡμῶν, καὶ καθίσαντες μνημονεύσωμεν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, καὶ ὁ Κύριος συνέρχεται ἡμῖν ἐν πᾶσι.
Adelphos hērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Ti poiēsō? Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Hotan ho Theos episkeptētai hēmas, tinos echomen phrontisai Legei autǭ ho adelphos; Tōn hamartiōn hēmōn. Legei oun ho gerōn; Eiselthōmen eis to kellion hēmōn, kai kathisantes mnēmoneusōmen tōn hamartiōn hēmōn, kai ho Kyrios synerchetai hēmin en pasi.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “What shall I do?” The old man says to him, “When God visits us, what are we to care about?” The brother says to him, “Our sins.” So the old man says, “Let us go into our cell, and sitting down let us remember our sins, and the Lord will come to our help in everything.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Remembering one’s sins in the cell brings God’s help.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.162 (PG 65:361; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-162). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-162
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.163PG 65:361
Ἀδελφὸς ὑπάγων εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα· Τί θέλεις ποιήσω; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Γενοῦ φίλος τοῦ ἑαυτὸν βιαζομένου, καὶ μετὰ ἀναπαύσεως πωλεῖς τὰ σκεύη σου.
Adelphos hypagōn eis tēn agoran ērōtēse ton abban Poimena; Ti theleis poiēsō? Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Genou philos tou heauton biazomenou, kai meta anapauseōs pōleis ta skeuē sou.
A brother going to the market asked abba Poemen, “What do you want me to do?” The old man says to him, “Be a friend of the one who forces himself, and you will sell your goods in peace.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Befriend the self-disciplined, and even market business goes peacefully.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.163 (PG 65:361; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-163). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-163
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.164PG 65:361
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· Δίδαξον τὸ στόμα σου λαλεῖν ἃ ἔχει ἡ καρδία σου.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn; Didaxon to stoma sou lalein ha echei hē kardia sou.
Abba Poemen said, “Teach your mouth to speak what your heart holds.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Let the mouth speak what the heart holds.
- The same saying stands at 89.63.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.164 (PG 65:361; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-164). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-164
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.165PG 65:361
Ἠρωτήθη ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν περὶ μολυσμῶν· καὶ ἀπεκρίθη, ὅτι Ἐὰν στήσωμεν τὸ πρακτικὸν καὶ νήψωμεν ἐπιμελῶς, οὐχ εὑρήσομεν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς μολυσμόν.
Ērōtēthē ho abbas Poimēn peri molysmōn; kai apekrithē, hoti Ean stēsōmen to praktikon kai nēpsōmen epimelōs, ouch heurēsomen en heautois molysmon.
Abba Poemen was asked about defilements; and he answered, “If we establish our practice and keep watch carefully, we shall find no defilement in ourselves.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Steady practice and watchfulness keep us free of defilement.
- The “defilements” are probably nocturnal emissions, a common topic in monastic counsel.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.165 (PG 65:361; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-165). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-165
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.166PG 65:361–363
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμὴν, ὅτι ἀπὸ τρίτης γενεᾶς τῆς Σκήτεως, καὶ τοῦ ἀββᾶ Μωϋσέως, οὐκ ἦλθον ἔτι οἱ ἀδελφοὶ εἰς προκοπήν. ρέζ'. Εἶπε πάλιν· Ἄνθρωπος ἐὰν τὴν τάξιν αὐτοῦ φυλάττῃ, οὐ ταράσσεται. ρξη΄. Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· Πῶς δεῖ με καθίσαι ἐν τῷ κελλίῳ; Λέγει αὐτῷ· Τὸ ἐν τῷ κελλίῳ καθίσαι, τὸ φανερὸν, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ἐργόχειρον, καὶ τὸ μονοσιτίσαι καὶ τὸ σιωπᾶν, καὶ ἡ μελέτη· τὸ δὲ ἐν κρυπτῷ προκόπτειν εἰς τὸ κελλίον ἐστὶ, τὸ βασανίζειν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μέμψιν ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ὅπου ἐὰν ἀπέρχῃ, καὶ τῶν συνάξεων τὰς ὥρας καὶ τῶν κρυπτῶν μὴ ἀμελεῖν. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ συμβῇ καιρὸν ἀργῆσαι τοῦ ἐργοχείρου σου, εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν σύναξιν ἀταράχως ἐπιτέλεσον. Τὸ δὲ τέλος τούτων, συνοδίαν καλὴν κτῆσαι, ἀπόσχου δὲ ἀπὸ κακῆς συνοδίας ρξθ'. 'Αδελφὸς ἡρωτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα· Ἑὰν ἀδελφὸς ἔχῃ μου μικρὰ νουμία, θέλεις αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσω; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Ἑρώτησον αὐτὸν ἅπαξ. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἀδελφός· Τί οὖν ποιήσω; οὐ γὰρ περιγίνομαι τοῦ λογισμοῦ μου. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Ἄφες τὸν λογισμόν σου λακκᾷν μόνον τὸν ἀδελφόν σου μὴ θλίψης.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn, hoti apo tritēs geneas tēs Skēteōs, kai tou abba Mōÿseōs, ouk ēlthon eti hoi adelphoi eis prokopēn. rez'. Eipe palin; Anthrōpos ean tēn taxin autou phylattę̄, ou tarassetai. rxē΄. Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; Pōs dei me kathisai en tǭ kelliǭ? Legei autǭ; To en tǭ kelliǭ kathisai, to phaneron, touto esti to ergocheiron, kai to monositisai kai to siōpan, kai hē meletē; to de en kryptǭ prokoptein eis to kellion esti, to basanizein tēn heautou mempsin en panti topǭ hopou ean aperchę̄, kai tōn synaxeōn tas hōras kai tōn kryptōn mē amelein. Ean de kai symbę̄ kairon argēsai tou ergocheirou sou, eiselthōn eis tēn synaxin atarachōs epiteleson. To de telos toutōn, synodian kalēn ktēsai, aposchou de apo kakēs synodias rxth'. 'Adelphos hērōtēse ton abban Poimena; Hean adelphos echę̄ mou mikra noumia, theleis auton erōtēsō? Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Herōtēson auton hapax. Legei autǭ ho adelphos; Ti oun poiēsō? ou gar periginomai tou logismou mou. Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Aphes ton logismon sou lakkąn monon ton adelphon sou mē thlipsēs.
Abba Poemen said that from the third generation of Scetis and of abba Moses, the brothers no longer made progress. [167] He also said, “If a man keeps his order, he is not troubled.” [168] A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “How should I live in my cell?” He says to him, “Living in the cell, outwardly, is handiwork, eating once a day, silence, and meditation; but progressing in secret in the cell is to bear the blame of oneself in every place you go, and not to neglect the hours of the offices and the secret prayers. And if it happens that you have time free from your handiwork, go into the office and finish it calmly. And the end of all this is to acquire good company and keep away from bad company.” [169] A brother asked abba Poemen, “If a brother has a few coins of mine, do you want me to ask him for them?” The old man says to him, “Ask him once.” The brother says to him, “Then what shall I do? For I cannot overcome my thought.” The old man says to him, “Let your thought bark; only do not afflict your brother.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen laments the decline after Moses; then three sayings follow on keeping one’s order, living in the cell, and not pressing a debtor.
- The scan runs Poemen 167–169 (numbered in the print) into this saying; marked [167]–[169]. λακκᾶν is taken as “bark” (or “clamor”).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: word split): ἐρωτη σω → ἐρωτήσω.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.166 (PG 65:361–363; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-166). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-166
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.170PG 65:363
Συνέβη τινὰς τῶν Πατέρων παραβαλεῖν εἰς οἰκίαν φιλοχρίστου τινὸς, ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐσθίειν αὐτοὺς, παρετέθη κρέα· ἔφαγον δὲ πάντες χωρὶς τοῦ ἀββᾶ Ποιμένος· καὶ ἐθαύμαζον οἱ γέροντες ὅτι οὐκ ἤσθιεν, εἰδότες τὴν διάκρισιν αὐτοῦ. Ὡς δὲ ἀνέστησαν, λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Σὺ εἶ Ποιμὴν, καὶ οὕτως ἐποίησας; Ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ γέρων· Συγχωρήσατέ μοι, Πατέρες· ὑμεῖς ἐφάγετε, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐσκανδαλίσθη· ἐγὼ δὲ εἰ ἔφαγον, ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ ἀδελφοὶ ἔρχονται ἔγγιστά μου, εἶχον βλαβῆναι, λέγοντες· Ποιμὴν ἔφαγε κρέα, καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐσθίομεν; Καὶ ἐθαύμασαν τὴν διάκρισιν αὐτοῦ.
Synebē tinas tōn Paterōn parabalein eis oikian philochristou tinos, en hois ēn kai ho abbas Poimēn; kai en tǭ esthiein autous, paretethē krea; ephagon de pantes chōris tou abba Poimenos; kai ethaumazon hoi gerontes hoti ouk ēsthien, eidotes tēn diakrisin autou. Hōs de anestēsan, legousin autǭ; Sy ei Poimēn, kai houtōs epoiēsas? Apekrithē autois ho gerōn; Synchōrēsate moi, Pateres; hymeis ephagete, kai oudeis eskandalisthē; egō de ei ephagon, epeidē polloi adelphoi erchontai engista mou, eichon blabēnai, legontes; Poimēn ephage krea, kai hēmeis ouk esthiomen? Kai ethaumasan tēn diakrisin autou.
It happened that some of the Fathers visited the house of a Christ-loving man, and among them was abba Poemen; and as they ate, meat was served; and all ate except abba Poemen; and the old men marveled that he did not eat, knowing his discernment. When they got up, they say to him, “You are Poemen, and you acted like this?” The old man answered them, “Forgive me, Fathers; you ate, and no one was offended; but if I had eaten, since many brothers come near me, they would have been harmed, saying, ‘Poemen ate meat, and shall we not eat?’” And they marveled at his discernment.
1 Cor 8:13 (echo, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen refuses meat at a meal lest the many brothers who follow him be scandalized.
- Cf. 1 Cor 8:13.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: word split): βλαβή ναι → βλαβῆναι.
Topics: Fasting
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.170 (PG 65:363; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-170). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-170
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.171PG 65:363
Εἶπεν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· Ἐγὼ λέγω, ὅτι εἰς τὸν τόπον ὅπου βάλλεται ὁ Σατανᾶς, ἐκεῖ βάλλομαι.
Eipen ho abbas Poimēn; Egō legō, hoti eis ton topon hopou balletai ho Satanas, ekei ballomai.
Abba Poemen said, “I say that wherever Satan is thrown, there I am thrown.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen counts himself fit to be cast where Satan is cast.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.171 (PG 65:363; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-171). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-171
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.172PG 65:363
Ὁ αὐτὸς εἶπε τῷ ἀββᾷ Ἀνούβ· Ἀπόστρεψον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου τοῦ μὴ ἰδεῖν ματαιότητα· ἡ γὰρ ἐλευθερία ψυχὰς ἀναιρεῖ.
Ho autos eipe tǭ abbą Anoub; Apostrepson tous ophthalmous sou tou mē idein mataiotēta; hē gar eleutheria psychas anairei.
The same said to abba Anoub, “Turn away your eyes from seeing vanity; for license destroys souls.”
Ps 119:37 (118:37 LXX) (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Turn your eyes from vanity, for license destroys souls.
- Quotation of Ps 119:37 (LXX 118:37).
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.172 (PG 65:363; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-172). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-172
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.173PG 65:363
Ἐμαχήσατό ποτε Παΐζιος μετὰ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, καθεζομένου τοῦ ἀββᾶ Ποιμένος, μέχρις αἷμα ἐκ τῶν κεφαλῶν αὐτῶν καταῤῥυῆναι· καὶ οὐδὲν τὸ σύνολον ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς ὁ γέρων. Εἰσῆλθεν οὖν ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἀνούβ· καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτοὺς, λέγει τῷ ἀββᾷ Ποιμένι· Διατί ἀφῆκας τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς μαχομένους, μηδὲν λαλήσας αὐτοῖς; Λέγει ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· Ἀδελφοί εἰσι, πάλιν εἰρηνεύουσι. Λέγει ὁ ἀββᾶς Ἀνούβ· Τί ἐστι τοῦτο εἶδες ὅτι οὕτως ἐποίησαν, καὶ λέγεις· Πάλιν εἰρηνεύουσι; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἀββᾶς Ποιμήν· θὲς εἰς τὴν καρδίαν σου, ὅτι οὐκ ἤμην ὧδε ἔσω.
Emachēsato pote Païzios meta adelphou autou, kathezomenou tou abba Poimenos, mechris haima ek tōn kephalōn autōn katarrhyēnai; kai ouden to synolon elalēsen autois ho gerōn. Eisēlthen oun ho abbas Anoub; kai idōn autous, legei tǭ abbą Poimeni; Diati aphēkas tous adelphous machomenous, mēden lalēsas autois? Legei ho abbas Poimēn; Adelphoi eisi, palin eirēneuousi. Legei ho abbas Anoub; Ti esti touto eides hoti houtōs epoiēsan, kai legeis; Palin eirēneuousi? Legei autǭ ho abbas Poimēn; thes eis tēn kardian sou, hoti ouk ēmēn hōde esō.
Once Paësius fought with his brother, while abba Poemen was sitting there, until blood ran down from their heads; and the old man said nothing at all to them. Then abba Anoub came in; and seeing them, he says to abba Poemen, “Why did you let the brothers fight without saying anything to them?” Abba Poemen says, “They are brothers; they will make peace again.” Abba Anoub says, “What is this? You saw that they acted like this, and you say, ‘They will make peace again’?” Abba Poemen says to him, “Put it in your heart that I was not here inside.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Poemen does not intervene when his brothers fight, saying they will make peace and he was as if absent.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: wrong diacritic): Τἱ ἐστι τοῦτο → Τί ἐστι τοῦτο.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.173 (PG 65:363; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-173). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-173
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.174PG 65:363
Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε τὸν ἀββᾶν Ποιμένα, λέγων· 'Αδελφοὶ οἰκοῦσι μετ' ἐμοῦ· θέλεις κελεύσω αὐτοῖς; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Οὐχί· ἀλλὰ ποίησον πρῶτον τὸ ἔργον, καὶ ἐὰν θέλωσι ζῇν, ἑαυτοῖς βλέπουσι. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ἀδελφός· Θέλουσι καὶ αὐτοὶ, Πάτερ, ἵνα κελεύσω αὐτοῖς. Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Μή· ἀλλὰ γενοῦ αὐτοῖς τύπος, καὶ μὴ νομοθέτης.
Adelphos ērōtēse ton abban Poimena, legōn; 'Adelphoi oikousi met' emou; theleis keleusō autois? Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Ouchi; alla poiēson prōton to ergon, kai ean thelōsi zę̄n, heautois blepousi. Legei autǭ ho adelphos; Thelousi kai autoi, Pater, hina keleusō autois. Legei autǭ ho gerōn; Mē; alla genou autois typos, kai mē nomothetēs.
A brother asked abba Poemen, saying, “Brothers live with me; do you want me to give them orders?” The old man says to him, “No; but first do the work yourself, and if they want to live, they will see to themselves.” The brother says to him, “They themselves want me to give them orders, father.” The old man says to him, “No; but be an example to them, not a lawgiver.”
1 Pet 5:3 (echo, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Lead brothers by example, not by commands.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.174 (PG 65:363; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-174). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-174
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.176PG 65:365
Εἶπε πάλιν· Ἄνθρωπος ἔχων παιδίον συνοικοῦν, καὶ ἐνεργούμενος εἰς αὐτὸ εἰς οἷον δ᾽ ἂν πάθος τοῦ παλαιοῦ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ πάλιν κατέχει αὐτὸ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, ὅμοιός ἐστιν ὁ τοιοῦτος ἀνθρώπῳ ἔχοντι ἀγρὸν ὑπὸ σκωλήκων βιβρωσκόμενον.
Eipe palin; Anthrōpos echōn paidion synoikoun, kai energoumenos eis auto eis hoion d᾽ an pathos tou palaiou anthrōpou, kai palin katechei auto meth' heautou, homoios estin ho toioutos anthrōpǭ echonti agron hypo skōlēkōn bibrōskomenon.
He also said, “A man who has a boy living with him and is moved toward him by any passion of the old man, and still keeps him with him, is like a man whose field is eaten by worms.”
Notes and citation
Summary: A monk who keeps a boy with him despite passion is like a field eaten by worms.
- The saying concerns sexual temptation toward a boy living with a monk; translated as written.
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.176 (PG 65:365; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-176). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-176
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.
89.177PG 65:365
Εἶπε πάλιν· Ἡ πονηρία τὴν πονηρίαν οὐδαμῶς ἀναιρεῖ· ἀλλ' ἐάν τίς σε κακοποιήσῃ, εὐποίησον αὐτῷ, ἵνα διὰ τῆς ἀγαθοποιίας ἀνέλῃς τὴν πονηρίαν.
Eipe palin; Hē ponēria tēn ponērian oudamōs anairei; all' ean tis se kakopoiēsę̄, eupoiēson autǭ, hina dia tēs agathopoiias anelę̄s tēn ponērian.
He also said, “Evil never destroys evil; but if someone does you harm, do him good, so that by doing good you may destroy the evil.”
Rom 12:21 (echo, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Only good overcomes evil.
- Cf. Rom 12:21.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Apophthegmata Patrum, Apoph. Patr. (alph.) 89.177 (PG 65:365; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-177). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/apophthegmata-alphabetica/89-177
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Translation: Translated by Claude (Opus) from Cotelier's Greek text as printed in Migne PG 65 (Bavarian State Library OCR); no public-domain English exists, so each batch was re-read against the Greek.